
__- 



(h3lSS — ^.j ^ :J ^ mM.. u 



THE DOCTRINE 



O F 



FUTURE AND ENDLESS 

[punishment) 

LOGICALLY PROVED, 

IN A 

CRITICAL EXAMINATION 



F 



SUCH PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE AS RELATE TO THE 
FINAL DESTINY OF MAN. 



By REUNE R. COON, 

MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL. «lC*C* I 



CINCINNATI: 
PUBLISHED BY J. A. & U. P. JAMES, 

]67 Walnut Street. 
1 850. 






Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1850, 

By J. A. & U. P. James, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the 

District of Ohio. 



A. C. JAMES, STEREOTYPER, 
CINCINNATI. 



INTRODUCTION. 



It is always important to know and embrace the 
truth. In its absence all is darkness and death; 
but in the way into which it leads are the light and 
the smiles of heaven. Truth is of divine extrac- 
tion — it descended from God. Its existence, from 
eternity, was in the uncreated mind ; and, like its 
Author, it is all beautiful and glorious. It is the 
reflective mirror, and the brightest image, of the 
Deity. Truth is the temple of the Living God — 
His dwelling place — where He delights to show 
forth His glory. Grand and majestic in its appear- 
ance, it stands a pillar of light on the desert plains 
of earth. Truth is mighty. Many are the battles 
it has to fight — as many are the victories it is des- 
tined to win. Falsehood and error, delusion and 
superstition, walk through the earth, intrepid and 
bold, scattering moral death and wo among the na- 
tions ; but these are doomed to fall when the truth 
of God marches forth in battle-array. It is my ut- 
most wish to fall and rise with truth. " Oh ! Thou, 
the High and Lofty One the Infinite and unfailing 



4 INTRODUCTION. 

source of all true light and knowledge, — direct my 
humble researches to know thy word, and aid my 
feeble efforts to follow according to its leadings ; 
that I may be enabled to stand up boldly in thy cause, 
and contend earnestly for thy truth — that I maybe 
willing to sacrifice now at the shrine of truth, and, 
ultimately, being divinely conducted, to join with all 
the faithful in solemnizing the triumphs of truth for 
ever." 

But some truths are more important than others, 
physically, intellectually, morally, and theologically. 
There are facts which we place among the First 
Truths of Divine Revelation ; while others again 
are considered as deductions from the primary ones ; 
and still again from these may others be inferred, 
which are not entitled to our faith, but are ranked 
among the opinions of men. 

But of all truths, the most important are those 
which respect the final destiny of man. To illus- 
trate and confirm ; — Suppose that we were a band 
of rebels, and, as such, were about to be sum- 
moned to answer before the tribunal of justice, for 
the high offence of betraying our government, 
in such case, of what thrilling importance to us 
would be the questions, What will be our judicial 
sentence in general? and, What will be the doom 



INTRODUCTION. 5 

of each of us — of me — in particular ? And sup- 
pose, further, that a free pardon were offered to 
every offender upon his complying with certain spe- 
cified terms, while to those who rejected these gra- 
cious tenders should be administered strict justice 
without the least mixture of mercy; in this case, 
we should make diligent inquiry as to those condi- 
tions of mercy, and the manner in which we should 
accept ; and all with an ultimate reference to the 
verdict of the judge, now, about to be pronounced. 

The application is easy. Man is guilty of rebel- 
lion against the government of God. For this cap- 
ital offence, he must answer at the bar of the 
Supreme Judge. We are all guilty — not one 
exception. In every age of the world, from the 
king to the peasant, from the sagest philosopher to 
the rudest barbarian, alike urgent has been the in- 
quiry, What will be the ultimate destiny of man ? 
Wise men have anxiously inquired, " If a man die, 
will he live again?" With the deepest solicitude 
have they pressed home the momentous questions, 
Is the soul of man destined to live, and think, and 
reason, and feel, for ever? and, if so, will its exist- 
ence be happy, or miserable ? 

It was not according to the order of Divine Prov- 
idence that questions so grave and awful should 



b INTRODUCTION. 

be solved by the reason of man. In the light of 
Divine Truth we read their solution. The doctrine 
of life and immortality is elucidated in the gospel. 
God has condescended Himself to answer the ques- 
tions on the pages of Inspiration. 

The ultimate happiness of the righteous and 
misery of the wicked are expressed in the oracles 
of truth with a clearness so unequivocal, that he 
who readeth may understand. The infinitely Wise 
knew how to make his truth plain to the human 
mind. 

But, in particular, it is on tne doctrine of future 
punishment, that I propose to write. This doc- 
trine — the doctrine of future endless punishment — 
has been, of late, much called in question. The 
present indeed seems an age of bold and daring 
speculation. Infidelity itself has made its appear- 
ance with shameless effrontery. By this, however, 
I do not mean to identify Universalism with Infi- 
delity ; but, be this as it may, they not unfrequently 
seem very closely allied, and to commune together 
with great familiarity. Says the notorious Thomas 
Paine, "I believe in one God, and that I shall be 
happy for ever." 

Yet we can easily conceive of the doctrine of Uni- 
versal Salvation in a state of comparative purity. 



INTRODUCTION. 7 

It is the errors with which it stands connected 
which, measurably, if not mostly, enstamps it with 
its most odious character. If the basis on which 
the system rests were the real atonement of Christ, 
applied by the gracious influences of the Holy 
Spirit — if such were the structure and relation of 
the system, to me it would seem much less hostile 
to the spirit and tenor of the Scriptures. Every 
doctrine will be characterized more or less by its 
relation to other doctrines. The doctrine of Uni- 
versal Salvation seems rather unfortunate in its 
connections. 

In pursuing this subject, it will be my aim to in- 
vestigate the arguments drawn from the Scriptures, 
with all possible care and candor. And, as a gen- 
eral rule, it will be my endeavor to explain and 
settle the sense of disputed passages by " comparing 
spiritual things with spiritual." No subject have I 
examined with more impartiality than the one be- 
fore me. And, waiting at wisdom's gate, the hum- 
ble and ardent prayer of my heart is, to be guided 
into the truth. 

It is not to be expected that this work will prove 
a volume of instruction to the learned and critical 
divine ; yet, even to him, I would venture to hope 
it may afford some useful hints. 



8 INTRODUCTION. 

Should the work prove useful in confirming any 
who are wavering, or reclaiming such as are wan- 
dering, I shall feel myself very bountifully rewarded. 
That the blessing of Heaven may rest upon this 
labor of love, is the earnest desire and humble 
prayer of the author. 



CANONS OF INTERPRETATION, 



In the interpretation of written documents, it 
often happens that different men, from the same 
premises, come to very different conclusions. They 
may all examine the document or instrument in 
question with equally fixed attention, and, appar- 
ently, with much critical care, and yet, in their re- 
sults, be greatly at variance. 

The causes of this diversity are abundantly ob- 
vious. Very limited is the extent of human knowl- 
edge. Two persons may contemplate the same 
objects from different points, and in different aspects. 
The mental and moral constitutions and habits of 
mankind, widely differ. Our various educations, 
circumstances, prejudices, and partialities, are fruit- 
ful sources of division, and discord. From these 
and similar causes, we should naturally expect to 
witness many violent and heated controversies 
among men. 

Hence arises the necessity of adopting certain 
general rules, as admitted principles of exegesis, 
that we may coolly, deliberately, and with ac- 
curacy, proceed in our investigations of truth. In 
a work like this, especially, to take one step, with- 
out practically observing such a course, would be 



10 CANONS OF INTERPRETATION. 

to commence at random : to continue on, would be 
" to run " the whole race " uncertainly," and to no 
effect. Passion should never be permitted to in- 
fluence the mind in forming its decisions. Correct 
rules, strictly followed, will ordinarily conduct 
a well-informed and well-balanced mind to just 
conclusions. 

In the present work, I conceive that the following 
rules may be especially useful. 

1. The literal meaning of a word or phrase is 
not to be departed from, unless the context or gen- 
eral usage imperiously demand it. 

2. When, however, a word or phrase has a 
number of meanings, we should then ascertain what 
is its most commonly received. signification ; what 
the character and sentiments of the author; in what 
situation, or under what circumstances he wrote ; in 
what sense he would most probably be understood 
by the people of his day and generation ; and what 
the sense of the parallel passages : and these things 
will indicate, with almost unerring certainty, the 
specific meaning of the word or phrase in question. 

3. In the interpretation of symbols, parables, and 
the like, we should always endeavor to ascertain the 
point to be illustrated, and the point of resemblance ; 
and then to arrange and explain all the attributes 
and circumstances of those figures just so far as 
they bear upon these two points. To go beyond 
this, is to give a latitude in the interpretation of 
figurative language, productive of the wildest 
notions. 



CANONS OF INTERPRETATION. 11 

4. The common sense meaning of a word or pass- 
age, is, in all probability, the true one. The whole 
system of divine revelation is addressed to men of 
common (not uncommon) sense. The writers them- 
selves were also men of this description. It is, 
therefore, generally safe, with competent knowl- 
edge, to search the Living Oracles with all sim- 
plicity. Too often, men of profound research 
labor a single word to establish a far-fetched 
meaning, while an unlettered disciple may, in the 
simplest manner, and with all the ease of nature, 
hit on the true one. 

5. We should endeavor to receive an idea from a 
given passage of Scripture, rather than bring one 
to it. Our system should bow to Divine Truth, 
and not Truth to our system. 

6. We should never interpret one passage of 
Scripture so as to do violence to another; because, 
truth is always consistent with itself. 

These rules I regard of indispensable utility in 
the present work. Strictly followed, they will 
doubtless conduct to just conclusions, and be pro- 
ductive of the happiest results ; and I could earn- 
estly wish that both myself and my readers may 
ever observe them with all due care and attention. 



ARGUMENT FIRST. 



THE MOST APPROPRIATE PHRASEOLOGY IN THE HEBREW LAN- 
GUAGE EXPRESSIVE OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT, APPLIED TO THE 
FINAL DOOM OF THE WICKED. 

" And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth 
shall wake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and 
everlasting contempt." — Dan. xii : 2. 

It has often been said that the doctrine of future 
punishment is not taught in the Old Testament, — 
that full four thousand years had rolled away, and 
man was left in the dark on the interesting and 
awful subject of his final destiny ; and from this it 
has been inferred that punishment will not be 
inflicted beyond the grave. 

It will, I presume, be readily admitted that the 
doctrine of a future retribution is not revealed in 
the Jewish Scriptures with the same force and 
extent with which it is expressed in the Christian. 
Nor is this anything more than we should naturally 
expect from the analogy of things. The Book of 
God begins with the commencement, and ends with 
the consummation, of time. We have first an ac- 
count of the Old Creation ; and, at last, a beautiful 
and sublime description of the New. Neither the 
belief of a future reckoning, nor that of any other 
doctrine, was expressed so clearly, under the former 
dispensation, as now, in the time of the Messiah. 
But, thence to say that the doctrine of punishment 
after death is not expressed at all in the Old Testa- 



14 THE DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

ment, is, in a manner, to strike dumb a part of the 
Living Oracles. With equal propriety we might 
affirm that God did not, during the whole Mosaic 
period, instruct man at all on the subject of his 
future being and happiness. Must we then infer 
that he will not exist after the present life ? Or, if 
he will, that his existence will not be a happy one ? 
But this would be, as regards man, to destroy with 
one stroke, not only all future felicity and punish- 
ment, but all future being. 

In the words we have selected as the basis of this 
xlrgument, the following points are clearly ex- 
pressed, namely : the resurrection of the dead ; the 
eternal happiness of the righteous ; and the endless 
misery of the wicked. But while our object is to 
prove the last of these — the eternal torments of 
the finally impenitent — we shall endeavor to illus- 
trate and confirm the other two, so far only as they 
stand connected with the grand question at issue. 

In the passage before us are exhibited the doc- 
trines of future, and of endless punishment. 

First. The doctrine of future punishment is 
plainly taught. This is based upon the fact of the 
resurrection. 

The passage before us clearly teaches the physi- 
cal resurrection of man. This proposition is evi- 
dent for the following reasons. 

1. It is proved by the chronological connection 
of the words with the foregoing predictions of the 
prophet. 

In the preceding chapter, (Dan. xi), the inspired 



ARGUMENT FIRST. 15 

writer predicts a regular course of events, extending 
from his own time down to the end of the world. 
" The prediction describes the fate of the Persian 
empire, (xi: 2.) which was invaded and destroyed 
by Alexander; (3.) the partition of his vast domin- 
ions into four kingdoms ; (4.) and the wars between 
the kingdoms of Egypt, (which lay to the southwest 
of Judea,) and of Syria, (which lay to the northeast 
of the Holy land,) are then foretold, together with 
the conquest of Macedon by the Romans. (5 — 36.) 
The prophecy then declares the tyranny of the papal 
Antichrist, which was to spring up under the 
Roman empire, (36 — 39.) and the invasion of the 
Saracens and of the Turks in the time of the end, 
or latter days of the Roman monarchy. (40 — 45.)" 
Home. This great Mahommedan power now 
spreads over the nations like an overflowing deluge, 
(v. 40.) enters the land of Israel, (41.) lays violenl 
hands on the countries adjacent, (42.) and collects 
the wealth of kingdoms. (43.) "But," while the 
Turkish emperor shall be thus exalted in the pride 
of his power, " tidings out of the east and out of 
the north shall trouble him." This is yet to be ful- 
filled. Whether intelligence of the return of Judah 
from the east and Israel from the north shall make 
him afraid, or tidings of the united power of Persia 
and Russia against him, situated, the former to the 
east, and the latter to the north of Palestine, shall 
strike him with terror ; which of these shall be the 
source of greater consternation to the Turk, we 
presume not to say. But he shall be troubled with 
tidings of some bold and dauntless power, rising at 



J6 THE DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

bis side, or fast approaching his gates ; and there- 
fore, he shall make a desperate struggle for life and 
empire : — " Therefore he shall go forth with great 
fury, to destroy, and utterly to make away many." 
(44.) In despair, he will devote his enemies to 
destruction. "And he shall plant the tabernacles 
of his palace between the " Mediterranean and Dead 
" seas, in the glorious holy mountain," the moun- 
tain of Israel, which, already, he has so long pro- 
faned; "yet he shall come to his end, and none 
shall help him." (45.) Now, in this place — this 
Holy mountain, long desecrated — Antiochus fell 
not; but here, in some future age, shall fall the 
Turkish monarch, and his dark empire shall termi- 
nate in hopeless ruin. 

" And at that time," the time just above mention- 
ed, when the bloody reign of the Mohammedan 
Antichrist shall finally fall, " at that time shall Mi- 
chael stand up," the Anointed Son of God, "who 
is the very express image of the Father's person," 
even, " the great Prince " Messiah, " which standeth 
for the children of thy people ; and there shall be a 
time of trouble, such as never was since there was 
a nation, even to that same time." Such, doubt- 
less, will be the case at the downfall of Antichrist. 
" Fire shall come down from God out of heaven, 
and devour his enemies." " And at that time thy 
people shall be delivered " — from sin and death, 
from every moral, and every natural evil, even — 
" every one that shall be found written in the book," 
the Lamb's book of life. (Dan. xii : 1.) Thus, carried 
down the stream of time in the rapid current of 



ARGUMENT FIRST. 17 

predicted events, and about to launch into vast eter- 
nity, we seem standing on the very verge of the 
invisible world ; and now the words are heard from 
the mouth of God ; " And many of them that sleep 
in the dust of the earth shall awake." From the 
connection, then, between these words and the fore- 
going prediction, we know not how to conclude 
otherwise than that the Prophet teaches the phys- 
ical resurrection of man. 

In connection with this, and further corroborative 
of the correctness of the position now taken, it 
should be borne in mind, that the passage under 
consideration occurs in the concluding paragraph 
of all the prophetic visions of Daniel. It is com- 
mon with the prophets to predict that first which is 
first to transpire. Daniel has followed this rule. 
There are, indeed, even in the preceding portions 
of this book, various predictions which must cer- 
tainly refer to future ages for their full accomplish- 
ment, as might easily be shown at length. (See 
Dan. vii : 22-27 ; viii : 22-25.) The last words of this 
prophecy, then, in regular chronological order, we 
may justly regard as referring to the most remote 
of those future events predicted ; and therefore, as 
a natural deduction, the passage before us announ- 
ces the final resurrection of man. 

2. This position is further confirmed by the lan- 
guage used. Every word of the passage, and its 
whole phraseology, demand that nothing less be 
understood than the resurrection of the dead. This 
will appear sufficiently obvious as we proceed to 
analyze the passage. 
2 



18 THE DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

" And many of them that sleep." Words signi- 
fying to sleep, in all languages, are to be frequently 
understood in the sense of dying. Such was the case 
among the Jews. Thus, " the kings of Israel and 
Judah slept with their fathers." Such too, was the 
case among the Greeks : Thus, "to fall asleep," is to 
die. And such is the case in English. 

" In the dust." This phrase is sometimes to be 
understood metaphorically, namely, when the con- 
text or general scope demands it; otherwise to be 
received literally : Thus, " Dust thou art, and unto 
dust shalt thou return." (Gen. iii : 19.) 

" Of the earth." The same remark will apply 
to this phrase as to the former. 

" In the dust of the earth." But this phraseology 
specifically points out a definite idea. Both dust 
and earth, used separately, may be understood in 
the figurative sense ; but, used in combination, as 
in the example now given, the expression must be 
confined to the literal sense ; because, the kind of 
dust is specified, namely, — not the dust of degra- 
dation, or the dust of humiliation, but — " the dust 
of the earth?'' Let the following example suffice to 
confirm the correctness of this criticism ; " The 
Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground." 
(Gen. ii : 7.) The word here translated ground, 
is rendered earth in the passage under consideration. 
Man, originally formed of earth, dissolving into his 
primitive dust, shall fall asleep in death, and, for 
long ages, thus " sleep in the dust of the earth." 
But afterward, he 

" Shall awake." The "awaking" denotes the 



ARGUMENT FIRST. 19 

resurrection : " I shall be satisfied when I awake 
with thy likeness." (Psal. xvii : 15.) 

But while each w r ord and phrase of the passage, 
taken separately, clearly indicates the doctrine of a 
physical resurrection, the whole phraseology viewed 
together, places the matter beyond dispute. When 
the afflicted servant of God, Job, from the depth of 
his affliction, says, " Now shall I sleep in the dust," 
we readily understand his meaning, namely: that 
soon should he repose in the still night of the grave. 
Again, more fully, the Patriarch says, "Man dieth, 
and w r asteth away ; yea, man giveth up the ghost, 
and where is he ? " This thought on human frailty 
and mortality, he now more fully illustrates ; " As 
the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth 
and drieth up; so man lieth down, and riseth not; 
till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, 
nor be raised out of their sleep." (xiv : 10 — 12.) 
" Till the heavens be no more he shall not awake " — 
Till the dissolution of the present material system, 
he shall not arise from death. And, impliedly? 
when the heavens are no more, he shall awake : — 
The many that sleep shall then aw^ake. How evi- 
dently, in this passage, does the inspired writer 
speak of death and the resurrection under the fig- 
ures of sleeping and awaking ; and how similar the 
language to that used in the passage under exami- 
nation. Also, at the same time, in relief of his 
many sorrows, he further expresses his faith in the 
future resurrection of his body, w^hen Michael shall 
stand up on the last day to plead the cause of God 
and truth, thus ; " I know that my Redeemer liveth, 
and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the 



20 THE DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

earth : and though after my skin, worms destroy 
this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." (xix : 25, 
26.) The language in Job is unequivocal: — the 
dust is the grave ; the sleep is death ; the awaking 
is the resurrection ; the Goel or Redeemer, the 
Great Messiah ; and his standing at the latter day 
upon the earth, when it shall be reduced to a heap 
of ruins, denotes his appearing for the complete 
salvation of his people at the consummation of all 
things. Such is the obvious sense of the language 
in the book of Job ; and such, consequently, is the 
sense which a Jew would naturally attach to simi- 
lar language in other books. With such scriptural 
aid, then, how plain, and how easily understood is 
the language before us : — " And at that time," at 
the latter day, "shall Michael," the Redeemer^ 
" stand up," even upon the earth, to effect the final 
redemption of his people. "And many" — even 
the multitude — "of them that sleep in the dust of 
the earth shall awake." The sense of physical 
resurrection seems too obvious to be disputed. 

Also, we trace the like parallelism in the New 
Testament. Thus, our Lord, " Lazareth sleepeth ; 
but I go that I may awake him out of sleep." This 
was spoken of his death and resurrection. Again, 
concerning some of the ancient worthies whose 
slumbers terminated with the resurrection of Christ. 
" The graves were opened ; and many bodies of the 
saints which slept, arose." (Matt, xxvii: 52.) 

But, wide shall be the distinction made in the 
resurrection ; mankind shall awake ; " Some to 
everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting 



ARGUMENT FIRST. 21 

contempt." Now if the passage before us be 
understood as teaching the doctrine of a moral 
change simply, as some affirm, it is more than diffi- 
cult — it seems indeed impossible — to conceive of 
so vast a distinction made between the different 
subjects of such a change. Because, if the change 
be moral, the whole passage is to be interpreted 
according to the moral sense. And then, a the dust 
of the earth " will denote a state of sin and con- 
demnation : the " sleep " will be a kind of moral 
insensibility; and the "awaking," the revival of 
the moral feelings, including, also, a deliverance 
from this state of evil, and an elevation to the 
opposite good. But, according to this view, the 
subject in the first place, awakes from sin to right- 
eousness, from the slumbers of moral death to spir- 
itual life, from ignorance and superstition to the 
light of knowledge, and yet he awakes to shame 
and contempt; which is absurd: because, if he 
awake to a holy and spiritual life — to knowledge, 
righteousness, and true holiness — then also, he 
rises to the favor and smiles of Jehovah, the very 
opposite of shame and contempt. Or, more briefly, 
thus; if the dust denote a state of sin, and man 
awake from this to the opposite state, then he 
awakes to righteousness : But, to awake to right- 
eousness, is to be exalted to honor, instead of being 
degraded to shame and contempt. Thus, according 
to the moral interpretation, the passage is reduced 
to an absurdity. But, take the words according to 
their natural sense, and all is plain and easy. The 
dead "shall awake" from the sleep of death, and 



22 THE DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

arise from "the dust of the earth; some" — they 
that have clone good — "to everlasting life, and 
some" — they that have done evil — "to shame 
and everlasting contempt." 

Both from the chronological connection of the 
passage, then, and also, from the literal and natural 
sense of the language, we are fairly conducted to 
the conclusion, that in the passage before us is 
taught the doctrine of the resurrection of the body. 

Now, if the doctrine of a physical resurrection be 
taught in this passage, that of future punishment 
will necessarily follow. Of this the advocates of 
the final salvation of all men are well aware. 
Hence they have exhausted their utmost skill and 
ingenuity to prove that the prophet speaks of the 
moral resurrection of man — the renovation of the 
soul. 

The following are their principal objections to 
the resurrection of the body, as taught in the 
passage before us. 

1. It is maintained that the time of the resurrec- 
tion is fixed by the prophet at the period of the 
destruction of Jerusalem; and that therefore he 
does not speak of the resurrection of the body : 
thus, Daniel, " And there shall be a time of trouble, 
such as never was since there was a nation, even 
to that same time:" (xii : 1.) and our Lord, thus, 
" Then," namely, at the siege and capture of Jeru- 
salem, " shall be great tribulation, such as was not 
since the beginning of the world to this time, no, 
nor ever shall be." (Matt, xxiv : 21.) 



ARGUMENT FIRST. 23 

But, in answer to this, I remark, in the words of 
Bishop Newton ; " this seemeth to be a proverbial 
form of expression, as in Exodus x: 14. 'And 
the locusts w r ere very grievous ; before them were 
no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be 
such;' and again in Joel xi: 2. 'A great people 
and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, 
neither shall be any more after it, even to the years 
of many generations.' Of the same kind is that in 
Daniel xii : 1. ' There shall be a time of trouble, 
such as never was since there was a nation, even 
to that same time;' and that in the first book of 
Maccabees xii : 27. ' There was great affliction in 
Israel, the like whereof w 7 as not since the time that 
a people w r as not seen amongst them.' Our Saviour, 
therefore, might fitly apply the same manner of 
speaking on the present occasion." 

But observe further ; Daniel and our Redeemer, 
in these passages, utter their predictions on very 
different subjects; the former, on the downfall of 
all antichristian power, and the latter, on the sub- 
version of the Jewish Commonwealth. Now, the 
destruction of Jerusalem presented, no doubt, the 
saddest spectacle of human wo ever witnessed in 
the history of the Jewish people ; yet, when the 
vials of divine wrath shall be poured out in a simi- 
lar manner on all the powers of Antichrist, the 
scene of death and ruin shall be far more general 
and more appalling. Indeed, as the prophet Dan- 
iel is general in his prediction, and our Lord par- 
ticular; and as the former continues his general 
outline down to the remotest age, before announcing 



24 THE DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

this unparalleled " trouble," while the latter foretells 
the direst calamities as befalling the Jews at the 
close of the Mosaic Dispensation ; it seems there- 
fore sufficiently obvious that the tw^o announce- 
ments of unexampled wo respect different persons 
and periods : — the prediction in the New Testament 
referring, for its fulfillment, to the miseries of the 
Jewish people at the close of the former Dispensa- 
tion, and the prediction in the Old, to the wicked 
in general, at or near the end of the world. 

2. It is farther stated, that the passage in ques- 
tion cannot teach a physical resurrection, because 
it was to take place at the time of the Jewish dis- 
persion ; " And when he shall have accomplished 
to scatter the power of the holy people, all these 
things shall be finished." (Dan. xii : 7.) This ob- 
jection, to say the least, is very defective. It pro- 
ceeds upon the unaccountable supposition that the 
expression, " When he shall have accomplished to 
scatter," implies the time of dispersion. Now, let 
it be observed and noted, the text does not read, 
" When he shall have scattered " — This would have 
announced the period when they were dispersed — 
But it runs, "When he shall have accomplished 
to scatter" — This imports the period when their 
dispersion shall end. Not, " When he shall have 
scattered the power of the holy people," and thus 
dispersed Israel abroad — but, "When he shall have 
accomplished to scatter the power of the holy 
people," and thus finished or ended their disper- 
sions, — " all these things shall be fulfilled." Now 
this prediction shall be fully accomplished " when 



ARGUMENT FIRST. 25 

all Israel shall be saved." The objection, then, is 
weak and without effect. 

But the very passage on which the objection is 
based, furnishes a pointed and forcible argument in 
support of the opposite position. Because, if, as 
is admitted, they "that sleep in the dust of the 
earth shall awake " about the time " when He shall 
have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy 
people ; " and, if, as has been shown, this last" shall 
be fulfilled when all the dispersions of Israel shall 
end ;" then is it quite obvious that the resurrection 
mentioned by the prophet did not take place in the 
primitive age of Christianity ; that it is still future ; 
and that it will not be effected until " all Israel 
shall be saved." Thus, aside from other and 
equally convincing arguments, the very passage on 
which the present objection was based, affords sat- 
isfactory evidence that, in the disputed passage, 
Daniel announces the final resurrection, (xii : 2.) 

3. It is finally objected, that the resurrection 
taught cannot be a physical one, because the lan- 
guage used to express the number raised is not uni- 
versal, but particular; — not all, but " many of them 
that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake." 
But at the resurrection of the body, all men shall 
be raised from the dead. 

In this objection, there is some plausibility, but 
no conclusiveness. The sense of the passage seems 
to be, "The multitude of them that sleep — shall 
awake." The import of the original is so compre- 
hensive as to include all mankind — all the dead. 
Its significance may be illustrated by the manner in 



26 THE DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

which it is used in the primitive command to the 
father of our race ; " Be fruitful, and multiply, and 
replenish the earth." Now, the original word ren- 
dered " multiply," is the same with that translated 
" many," in the passage under examination. Adam, 
in his posterity, since that Divine injunction was 
given, has " multiplied" to unnumbered millions; 
and when the last of his sons shall be born, his 
numerous progeny will but fulfill the original com- 
mand to " multiply." At the close of time the 
posterity of Adam will have increased to a very 
great multitude ; and then, u The multitude of the 
sleeping dead shall awake." 

Also, the apostle Paul, in a course of labored 
argument, to express the idea of universality, uses 
the word many in preference to all, thus ; " Through 
the offense of one, many are dead;" and again, 
" By one man's disobedience, many were made sin- 
ners." (Rom. v : 15, 19. x Having first proved that 
by reason of sin, " death passed upon all" man- 
kind, the inspired writer then drops this universal 
term, all, and substitutes in its place the word 
many. 

But suppose I grant, for the sake of the argument, 
what can never be proved, that the prophet speaks 
of some other period than that of the downfall of 
all antichristian power; — let it be the time when 
Antiochus spread blood and carnage around Jeru- 
salem — let it be the time when the Romans, under 
Titus, deluged the devoted city in blood and death 
■ — let it be any other time when the afflicted He- 
brew race seemed trembling on the very verge of 



ARGUMENT FIRST. 27 

destruction, and ready to be swept away, in their 
national existence, with a flood of overflowing ca- 
lamities ; — at any such time, what could be more 
natural than for a Jew to inquire as to the final 
issue of the struggle between the Heathen and the 
people of Jehovah? And, to a heart big with the 
awful question, how appropriate and consoling the 
words — how full of life from the dead, and replete 
with the beatitudes of immortality — "Many of 
them that sleep in the dust of the earth " — all who 
sleep in Jesus in the silent mansions of the tomb — 
" shall awake " from their slumbers in the likeness 
of their risen Redeemer " to " enjoy a better " life" 
to come. 

It has now been fairly proved from the words 
before us, (Dan. xii : 2.) that the inspired WTiter 
announces the physical resurrection of man ; and 
every objection to the contrary has been fairly met 
and confuted. 

But " some " of the dead u awake to " be pun- 
ished with " shame and contempt." They are thus 
punished after the resurrection. This proposition 
is too plain to be misunderstood, and too obvious to 
be denied. " Some," from the long sleep of death, 
" shall awake to shame and contempt." 

Therefore, as logically follows, the doctrine of 
future punishment seems fairly established. 

Second. The doctrine of endless punishment is 
also clearly taught in the passage before us. In 
proof of this proposition, we submit the following 
argument. 



2S DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

The original word oVil? (olam,) " everlasting, " as 
used in the text, strictly signifies endless duration : 
" Some shall awake to shame and everlasting con- 
tempt. " But as there has been no small contro- 
versy on the proper grammatical sense of the word 
in question, it is expedient to examine its meaning 
somewhat at length. 

The Hebrew word vhty (olam) rendered "ever- 
lasting " in this passage, (derived from vhv, (aulam,) 
to hide, conceal, or keep secret,) signifies, according 
to its primitive sense, duration in general, some- 
times finite, frequently indefinite, but generally in- 
finite. And, with peculiar propriety, the word will 
apply to the future state of our existence, as all 
duration beyond that of the present mundane sys- 
tem, is emphatically hidden from the view of man. 

But let us attend to the general usage of the ori- 
ginal word, as it occurs in the Hebrew Scriptures, 
that we may ascertain with some accuracy its true 
signification. We present the following examples. 

Gen. xxi : 33. " And Abraham — called on the 
name of the Lord, the d 1 ?^ (olam) everlasting God." 
In this passage the inspired historian obviously 
expresses the attribute of God's eternity. 

Deut. xxxiii : 27. " The eternal God is thy refuge, 
and underneath are the (0*711?) everlasting arms." 
As God is eternal himself, He will give eternal pro- 
tection and support to his people. 

Psal. xxiv : 7. " Lift up your heads, O ye gates ; 
and be ye lift up, ye (oViy) everlasting doors ; and 
the King of glory shall come in." Compared with 
verse 9. Having finished his work on earth, 



ARGUMENT FIRST. 



29 



Messiah passed triumphantly through the "gates" 
of that heavenly city which hath enduring founda- 
tions, whose Maker and Builder is God. 

Ibid, c: 5. "The Lord is good, his mercy is 
tS>*S (leolam) everlasting." The sense is, it en- 
dare th to eternity. 

Ibid, ciii: 17. "The mercy of the Lord is xh\yra 
(maolam) from everlasting, cSvy — ijn(vead olam) 
even to everlasting upon them that fear him." Ex- 
ercised in the Divine Mind before the foundation of 
the world, it will be exhibited in all its richness and 
freeness through all eternity. 

Ibid, cxii : 6. "Surely he" — the good man — 
"shall not be moved (oSiyS) for ever" — built on 
the rock of ages; " The righteous shall be in (oSiy) 
everlasting remembrance" — their names dear 
to the heart, and engraven on the breastplate of 
Jesus. 

Ibid, cxix : 142. " Thy righteousness is an (ohnyS) 
everlasting righteousness." — ver. 144. 

Ibid, exxxix : 24. "Lead me in the way (dSij?) 
everlasting." Such is the way of holiness and 
truth. 

Prov. x : 25. " The righteous is an (dSij?) ever- 
lasting foundation" — firm and unmoved for ever. 

Isa. xxxv : 10. " And the ransomed of the Lord 
shall return, and come to Zion with songs and (dSi;*) 
everlasting joy upon their heads." The bliss of the 
heavenly "Zion" and the "song" of praise there, 
shall alike be eternal. 

Ibid, xliv : 17. " Israel shall be saved in the 
Lord with an mfop (olamim, plural,) everlasting 



30 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

salvaiton." Such a salvation only, is truly worthy 
of God, and suitable to man. 

Ibid, liv : 8. " In a little wrath I hid my face 
from thee for a moment; but with (oSiy) everlast- 
ing kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the 
Lord thy Redeemer." In this passage the sense of 
endless duration seems necessarily attached to the 
word in question : 1 . From the antithesis used ; " a 
little wrath ; '• contrasted with the " kindness of 
Jehovah;" and a a moment," with the infinite 
future. 2. From the illustration given; "For this 
is as the waters of Noah unto me ; for as I have 
sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go 
over the earth, so have 1 sworn that I would not be 
wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee." — ver. 9. Now, 
Jehovah hath solemnly declared that he will never 
again destroy the earth with a flood. Of such im- 
port, then, is the word in question. 3. From another 
significant contrast employed; " For the moun tains 
shall depart, and the hills be removed ; but my 
kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall 
the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the 
Lord that hath mercy on thee." — ver. 10. Now, the 
mountains and hills after a course of ages, shall be 
removed ; but the whole period of their endurance 
is not sufficient to illustrate the sense of the orig- 
inal term before us. " With everlasting kindness, 
saith Jehovah, will I have mercy on thee" — with 
a kindness not to be measured by time — " For the 
mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, 
but my kindness shall not depart from thee." The 
sense of the word, then, is, in this passage, fairly 



ARGUMENT FIRST. 31 

demonstrated to be that of a duration which shall 
continue when time and nature shall end — the 
sense of unending duration. 

Ibid, lvi : 5. "I will give them " — such as take 
hold of my covenant — " an (qSw) everlasting name, 
that shall not be cut off." The word is here defined, 
" that shall not be cut off." Now, that which shall 
not be cut off, must for ever remain. To the hum- 
blest of his worshipers shall God award, in the 
" house not made with hands," a crown of endless 
honor. 

Ibid, lx : 19, 20. " The sun shall be no more thy 
light by day ; neither for brightness shall the moon 
give light unto thee : but the Lord shall be unto 
thee an (D7iy) everlasting light, and thy God thy 
glory. Thy sun shall no more go down ; neither 
shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall 
be thine (uhv/) everlasting light, and the days of 
thy mourning shall be ended." When all the lights 
of nature shall be extinguished ; when " the days 
of Zion's mourning shall be ended," Jehovah, the 
light and glory of his people, shall continue such 
for ever. 

Ibid, lxi : 7. " (oSiy) everlasting joy shall be unto 
them " — the people of Jehovah, in the future world 
of the blessed. 

Jer. x: 10. "The Lord is the true God, he is 
the living God, and an (dSuO everlasting King." 
The a true" and "living" God reigns "King" for 
ever. The sense is obvious. 

Ibid, xxxi : 3. "The Lord hath appeared of old 
unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an 



32 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

(eMjt) everlasting love." This was spoken to con- 
firm the faith of the desponding Hebrew, that " God 
would draw him with his loving kindness," and 
" build him up " for ever. 

Dan. iv : 3. " His kingdom is an (di y) everlast- 
ing kingdom." Nebuchadnezzar, the king, was now 
fully convinced that all the idol-gods of his realms 
were false; but that Jehovah,the God of Israel,rules 
the world, without control, and without end. " And 
at the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lift up 
mine eyes unto heaven ; — and I praised and hon- 
ored him that liveth fcDby(alema) for ever." — ver. 34. 

Ibid, vi : 26. " I make a decree, that in every 
dominion of my kingdom, men tremble and fear 
before the God of Daniel ; for he is the living God, 
and steadfast Y%h$H (lealemin) for ever." Thus 
spake Darius in the full conviction, that the God of 
the Hebrews reigns in absolute dominion through- 
out all duration. 

Ibid, ii : 44. " In the days of these kings shall 
the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall 
never be destroyed" — or, "which shall not be des- 
troyed (^nV?) for ever, — and the kingdom shall 
not be left to other people, but it shall break in 
pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall 
stand kViobyb (lealemaya) for ever." The word in 
question appears, in this place, the more specific, 
as conveying the idea of endless duration, because 
of its application to the kingdom of Christ as con- 
trasted with the four great monarchies of the world. 
While earthly empires are of short duration, none 
can ever wrest the scepter or the rod from the hand 



ARGUMENT FIRST. 33 

of Messiah, the Universal Conqueror. All earthly 
kingdoms shall fall and be broken to pieces; but 
that of the Messiah, never. What could be more 
specific ? 

Ibid, vii : 18. « But the saints of the Most High 
shall take take the kingdom, and possess the king- 
dom ttBhjrijr (adalema)for ever." They shall reign 
with Christ in his triumphant kingdom "for ever 
and ever." 

Ibid, ix : 24. " After seventy weeks, Messiah 
shall come, to finish transgression — and to bring 
in (ififrp) everlasting righteousness " — a righteous- 
ness which, while it is most permanent and durable 
in its nature, shall secure for all believers an eter- 
nal acceptance with the Deity. 

Ibid, xii: 7. "And I heard the man clothed in 
linen — when he held up his right hand and his left 
hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth 
ttnpn (haolam) for ever." The sense of the word in 
this last passage is evidently that of endless dura- 
tion. He lives through all eternity. 

We have thus given a few examples of the ori- 
ginal word in question, to determine its general 
signification ; and the number of examples might 
be greatly increased, were it necessary. We have, 
however, given a greater proportional number from 
Daniel than from the other prophets. The word, 
however, is found in a few other places, (Dan. ii : 
4. iii: 9; v: 10; vi: 6,21,) but these examples no 
critic who has any regard for his own reputation, 
will ever mention as indicating or fixing the mean- 
ing of the word. Thus, when the ministers of the 



34 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

court approaching their sovereign, thus address his 
majesty, " O king, live (yoV?) for ever," we regard 
it simply as a customary style of salutation, origi- 
nating, possibly, in the loyal affection of the sub- 
ject, that the king, being most worthy, might, if 
possible, reign over his provinces for ever. Indeed, 
in this, and similar applications of the word, we 
readily trace the general and established sense of 
eternal duration. 

But before further proceeding with the Argument, 
we notice an objection urged with much boldness 
against the signification we have endeavored to 
establish. It is maintained that the Hebrew word 
before us, rendered " everlasting," very frequently, 
if not generally, signifies limited time ; and there- 
fore, such may be its meaning when applied to the 
punishment of the wicked. This objection has often 
been presented in the most plausible manner; and 
has, doubtless, much influenced the minds of thou- 
sands. We readily admit that the original word is 
often used in the sense of limited duration; but 
when all the circumstances of the case are duly 
considered and weighed, according to the nature of 
things, it will, I think, become abundantly obvious 
to every candid mind, that such a sense militates 
not in the least against its general signification. 
Indeed, even if it were universally admitted that 
the word under consideration, strictly and gram- 
matically signifies duration without end, still, on 
opening the Hebrew Scriptures, I should expect 
to find the general and indefinite idea of vast 



ARGUMENT FIRST. 35 

duration variously modified and limited ; and 
especially so. 

1. In the language of poetry. In the lofty style 
of the Hebrew bard we expect to witness some bold 
strokes. Take one example : " He stood, and 
measured the earth ; he beheld, and drove asunder 
the nations : and the everlasting mountains were 
scattered, the (q 1 ?^) perpetual hills did bow." — Hab. 
iii : 6. According to our views, both of nature 
and Theology, we cannot suppose that the moun- 
tains and hills will endure for ever ; yet these are 
spoken of, as being " perpetual" — eternal. The 
language throughout is highly poetic. Jehovah, the 
Universal Judge, stands with his measuring line to 
compass the earth. As a man of war, He drives 
asunder the Heathen nations. To make way for 
His march, the ancient mountains, at His word, are 
scattered from His feet. And before His awful 
majesty, the eternal hills bow low r , expressing most 
profound reverence to the Universal King, as He 
walks through the earth. Such is the grand and 
soaring flight of the inspired bard of Israel. But 
no good critic, I think, would introduce this, or any 
similar poetic passage, to prove that the Hebrew 
word signifies limited duration. A modern writer 
might say, " Under the washing storms of heaven, 
the eternal Andes shook to its deep foundations." 
Yet what good author, in some future age, offering 
his criticisms on the English language, would thence 
conclude that our word eternal conveys simply the 
notion of finite duration? But this he might do 
with just the same propriety, as for a scholar of our 






36 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

own time to come to such a conclusion from a 
similar use of the original word in question. Sim- 
ilar remarks will apply to poetry in general. 

2. In the language of law, we expect to meet 
with similar examples of limitation in the meaning 
of the word before us. A single example is suffi- 
cient to confirm the fact, and illustrate the principle. 
The ark of the Lord had miraculously passed the 
waters of the Jordan; and twelve stones, by divine 
command, were taken from the bed of the river, to 
commemorate the miracle in Gilgal. And now, 
thus runs the divine enactment on this matter : 
" When the ark of the covenant passed over Jor- 
dan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these 
stones shall be for a memorial unto the children 
of Israel (#yrjr*i#) for ever." — Josh, iv : 7. These 
stones were thus to remain as a commemorative 
institution, from age to age, even to the years of 
many generations. Such is the language of law; 
and numerous are the examples to the same effect 
that might easily be adduced. But exactly similar 
is the use of the corresponding English phrase for 
ever, when employed in legal instruments. Take, 
for example, the deed of conveyance. In this in- 
strument, " the party of the first part grants and 
confirms to the party of the second part, and to his 
heirs and assigns for eve?*, a certain described tract 
of land; and then covenants, the former to the lat- 
ter, that he will warrant and for ever defend the said 
tract of land to his heirs and assigns for ever" 
Now, what future commentator on the present 
laws and legal instruments of this nation, could 



FIRST ARGUMENT. 37 

have the daring to affirm, from such or any similar 
documents, that the English word for ever, properly 
signifies limited time ? The truth is, that this word 
in the language of law, and in morals, has fre- 
quently very different meanings ; as, in the former, 
it may signify the duration of a few ages at most, 
or, the existing civil establishment ; and in the 
latter duration without end. This illustration will 
apply to numerous examples of a similar character 
that might be adduced from the original Scriptures. 
3. Nor yet is it surprising, that in its application 
to things typical, we should find the word in ques- 
tion used in the same manner. We present the 
following examples : " And I will establish my 
covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after 
thee, in their generations, for an (o^iy) everlasting 
covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed 
after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy 
seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, 
all the land of Canaan, for an (d^i?) everlasting 
possession : and I will be their God." — Gen. xvii : 
7,8. "The covenant of circumcision" between 
God and Abraham, was a typical transaction, or- 
dained with an ultimate reference to the covenant 
of grace, now more clearly revealed in the gospel, 
by which we are " circumcised with the circumci- 
sion made without hands." And, the land of Ca- 
naan, " the lot of Israel's inheritance," we are fully 
authorized to regard as a type of that " better 
country, the heavenly" world. Now, the covenant 
of circumcision, as such, literally, did not last for 
ever ; but while the old literal form of the covenant 



38 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

disappears, and " vanishes away," the covenant it- 
self, in its spirit, and according to its ultimate typical 
reference, is but continued in another and better 
form — the New Testament. " The covenant of cir- 
cumcision," then, in its spirit, is " the everlasting 
gospel." Thus, too, "the land of Canaan" is an 
everlasting inheritance, not in the natural, but spir- 
itual sense ; not to natural, but spiritual Israel. It 
would be an easy matter to prove the correctness of 
this distinction from the express declarations of an 
inspired Apostle : " Know ye therefore," saith he, 
"that they which are of faith, the same are the 
children of Abraham." — Gal. iii : 7. And again: 
" If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and 
heirs according to the promise." — ver. 29. Thus, 
from these declarations, it becomes certain, in the 
first place, that believers in Christ are the " seed or 
children of Abraham ;" and further, that being his 
seed, they are also " heirs according to the promise" 
made to Abraham their father, thus, " Unto thy seed 
will I give the land of Canaan" — to thy natural 
seed, the natural land; and to thy spiritual seed, 
the spiritual land, " the heavenly country," — "for 
an everlasting possession." Upon the same evan- 
gelical principle, we may perceive with what pro- 
priety the Hebrew word in question was applied 
to many typical things in the Old Testament. 

4. Also, in the language of passion, — as hope 
and fear, desire and aversion, joy and sorrow, — 
the word under consideration may be used in a 
limited sense. This, however, is nearly related to 
the language of poetry. Under the impulse of 



ARGUMENT FIRST. 39 

strong feelings, we naturally expect to witness 
grammatical inaccuracies in the use of language. 
I present, for illustration, the following example : 
" The earth with her bars was about me (abiyV) for 
ever." — Jonah ii : 6. This passage has often been 
proudly and vauntingly quoted, to prove that the 
word may signify the length of three days only! 
But, not to mention that this sublime ode naturally 
classes under the head of poetry, (ver. 2-9.) the 
feelings of the prophet, and the circumstances 
under which he was placed when he gave utterance 
to those feelings, may clearly indicate his meaning. 
Jonah was confined in " a great fish," as in a prison, 
"three days and three nights;" and, in this situa- 
tion, he " prayed " earnestly " unto the Lord his 
God." — i : 17 ; ii : 1. At verse 2, commence the 
prayer and the vow of the disobedient, but now 
penitent prophet, which he made when he thought 
himself confined in "hell ^kbf (sheol)," or, the place 
of the dead. " Then I said, I am cast out of thy 
sight — I went down to the bottoms of the moun- 
tains " — the depths of the ocean, which, w r ere the 
waters removed, would present deep valleys, with, 
perhaps, extensive plains; — "The earth, with her 
bars, was about me" — as if I were a prisoner — 
" for ever." Thus spake Jonah in his lamentation, 
before he was ejected from the fish on dry land. — 
ii : 10. But such is the native language of pas- 
sion. Suppose a person plunged into the depths 
of the sea, without the least prospect of deliverance, 
and now freely expressing his feelings ; in such 
case, would he not naturally give utterance to 



40 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

language as strong as that of the despairing Jonah, 
saying, " Alas ! I 'm undone ! I 'm cut off from 
the earth for ever ! I have found a watery grave ! 
I sink down! down ! ! for ever!" But, this person 
being delivered in " three days," suppose that I, 
criticising on the word for ever, should endeavor to 
make it appear, from this plain case, that the Eng- 
lish word signifies three days only ! By what name 
would you call such criticism? 

Now, when w r e consider how much of the Old 
Testament is the language of law and type, and 
how much the language of poetry and the pas- 
sions, it is not — it cannot be — surprising to us, 
that the word under consideration should be so fre- 
quently used by the inspired writers in a tropical 
sense. Should the poets, legislators, and other 
writers of this nation, concentrate their powers, 
and employ their pens, to compose a large volume 
on every variety of subject; in such case, it is very 
probable, that in proportion to the magnitude of 
the work, the English words expressive of endless 
duration — eternal, everlasting, and for ever — 
would occur as frequently in a limited sense as they 
do in the Scriptures of the Old Testament. Yet, 
who would thence conclude that our word for- 
ever meant for an age, only ? and, that eternal and 
everlasting were limited in a similar manner? 
Indeed, in applying these w r ords to moral truths and 
moral subjects, we are not in the least influenced 
by the fact, that a different sense is attached to 
them in other departments of science. Even so, 
then, though the Hebrew word in question be not 



, ARGUMENT FIRST. 41 

always used in its strictly grammatical sense, in 
poetry and in the passions, in law and in the 
types ; yet this should have no bearing on our minds 
in determining its signification when applied to mor- 
tal truths : And therefore, the argument for endless 
punishment, founded on the meaning of the word be- 
fore us, is not in the least disturbed by this objection. 
But further : Not only is the general Argument 
not weakened by this plausible objection ; but, from 
the very nature of figurative language, it becomes 
still more confirmed. Because, in the language of fig- 
ures, words of most comprehensive import are gen- 
erally used hyperbolically, to paint the idea and 
brighten the description. The poet may thus speak 
of mountains, empires, &c, as being perpetual, while 
yet he knows that they are limited in their duration. 
The use of the word in such case is evidently hyper- 
bolical ; and accordingly, we should expect that the 
word used would be that which, in the opinion of 
the writer, is most strongly expressive of endless 
duration. This is emphatically true with regard to 
the language of the passions : Thus, in the condi- 
tion of Jonah, we can scarcely suppose that any 
one would use a word expressive of limited time. 
And, in law, for the purpose of giving force to the 
idea, a word is employed strictly significant of un- 
limited duration — for ever — and applied to a lim- 
ited period — the term of years, during which the 
grantor secures to the grantee the property con- 
veyed. It follows, then, that the fact of the Hebrew 
word in question being sometimes, in figurative 
language, used in a limited sense, does not in any 
4 



42 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

wise disprove its original and general signification; 
but, on the contrary, strengthens the sense of end- 
less duration. 

But it may be inquired whether the language of 
the text under discussion, be not such as to justify 
the position, that the Hebrew word in question, is, 
in this place, to be understood in the sense of lim- 
ited duration? 

The question should certainly be returned with a 
negative answer. We have seen that in poetry, in 
the language of law, in that of the passions, and in 
typical language, words must be variously modified 
and limited : But the prophet, in the style of a great 
teacher, gravely states the most sublime truths. 
The language is either literal, or such as is natu- 
rally used in plain and literal compositions : " And 
many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth 
shall awake; some to everlasting life, and some to 
shame and everlasting contempt." The language 
is just such as a Jew would employ to express his 
firm faith in the resurrection of the dead, and in the 
final retributions of the righteous and the wicked. 
The language of the text, then, is such as to justify 
the position, that the Hebrew word in question, 
(q^ij?) is in this place, to be understood in the sense 
of unlimited duration. 

2. But still further : While there is nothing in the 
language of the text generally to limit the significa- 
tion of the word rendered " everlasting," but much 
to confirm its literal meaning ; the period to which 
the prophet refers, appears, in a manner, to demon- 
strate the sense of endless duration. 



ARGUMENT FIRST. 43 

The word, in the passage before us, is applied to 
the future existence of man. Now it is, I believe, 
universally admitted that, though in its application 
to temporal things, the word sometimes denotes 
limited duration ; yet it always expresses the whole 
of any given period. Thus, if it be applied to the 
temple- service, to the Mosaic Dispensation, to the 
ancient mountains, or, to the future existence of 
man ; it expresses, respectively, the whole duration 
of each period. But it has been proved that, in the 
passage under discussion, the Prophet speaks of 
man, not as he now is, but as he will be in the 
future world — that the primitive term is applied, 
not to the present, but future existence of man, 
and — after the resurrection. Therefore, it con- 
clusively follows, that, in this passage, the word 
expresses unequivocally the idea of endless du- 
ration. 

3. The same is demonstrated by the antithe- 
sis — "Some to everlasting life, and some to shame 
and everlasting contempt." Now, "in antithetical 
language, one member of the antithesis should be 
interpreted with as great a latitude of meaning as 
another." But, in the first member of the antithe- 
sis used in the passage before us,- — namely, " Some 
to everlasting life," — the term, evidently, has the 
sense of endless duration. The " life" mentioned 
is to be fully developed in the final resurrection ; 
and the recipients of it, as elsewhere attested, shall 
"die no more." Therefore, also, in the second 
member, — namely, "And some to shame and 
everlasting contempt," — the word must be under- 



44 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

stood with the same latitude of meaning. Thus, 
plainly, from the nature and circumstances of 
the case, the idea of endless duration is, in this 
passage, necessarily attached to the word under 
consideration. 

4. Finally : That the original word in question, 
(r?i;>) in the passage before us, (Dan. ii : 2,) should 
be understood in the sense of endless duration, is 
confirmed by the fact, that in ver. 3, to express the 
same duration, the prophet uses the phraseology, 
" ijn tiityH, (leolam vaed) for ever and ever." 

Now, that by this latter expression, the prophet 
intends the same duration as by the former, is obvi- 
ous : 1st, From the connection of the two passages. 
The inspired writer first declares that the " multi- 
tude of them that sleep in the dust shall rise ; that 
some of them shall come forth to everlasting hap- 
piness, and some to everlasting misery." And now ; 
carried down to eternity, he dwells more fully on 
the future bliss of the saints ; first, more generally, 
and then more particularly, thus : " And they that 
be wise" — unto salvation — "shall shine as the 
brightness of the firmament" — beautiful, resplen- 
dent, and glorious — "and they that" — in their 
public or private ministrations — "turn many" — 
from sin — "to righteousness, as the stars " — firm 
and bright and exalted — and both — " for ever and 
ever." Also, 2d, it accords well with the genius 
of the Hebrew, in expressing unending duration, 
first to employ a word of such significance in the 
simple form ; and then for the purpose of adding 
intensiveness, to use the reduplicate form, thus : 



ARGUMENT FIRST. 45 

" The saints of the Most High shall — possess the 
kingdom (aipbj; rfiy ijn sphp'ip) for ever, even for 
ever and ever." — Dan. vii : 18. In the original, as 
in the English, the idea of endless duration is first 
expressed in the simple form, and then in the redu- 
plicate. It is obvious, then, that the simple form 
of the word, (ph)p) rendered " everlasting," (Dan. 
xii: 2,) should be understood in the sense of the re- 
duplicate, (ijn nb)yi) " for ever and ever," at ver. 3 ; 
save that the latter form is but a more intensive 
manner of expressing the same idea. 

But the latter form of expression, as rendered 
"for ever and ever," literally and uniformly signi- 
fies endless duration. Now, that such is its true 
signification, is obvious, 

1. From its composition. n$n ^^(leolam vaed) is 
compounded of vhty (olam) andiy (ad). The for- 
mer, as we have seen in the preceding part of this 
Argument, properly signifies eternity ; and the lat- 
ter has nearly the same signification. The two 
words combined, express the sense of endless dura- 
tion, more forcibly than any other word or combina- 
tion of words in the Hebrew language, "ran (thamid,) 
signifies continuity, as, for example, through day 
and night, m: (natsah) in a manner magnifies the 
idea into that of continuance or endurance, through 
life, an age, or the like. This latter word redupli- 
cated, according to Parkhurst, denotes, "To conti- 
nuance of continuances," i. e., for a very long time. 
ij? (ad) developes the perpetuity of being, extend- 
ing over the boundless future, ohr; (olam) fills 
the mind to overflowing with the absorbing idea 



46 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

of vast duration — long — very long — infinitely 
long — duration. Now all these words the poet 
or the legislator might use as he pleased, and mod- 
ify and limit their meaning as circumstances re- 
quired. Not so, the most expressive and absorb- 
ing phraseology under consideration. This pos- 
sessed a fullness and vastness of meaning, beyond 
the reach, and above the control, of genius. It 
could not be so reduced as to measure time, or in 
any other way to be applied to it than as a compo- 
nent part of eternity. It just fully expressed the 
age of God, the all-absorbing periods of absolute 
endurance ; applied also to the duration of undying 
spirits. Such is the divine significance of the 
phraseology now before us. The Jews certainly — 
having inspired thoughts on the future and eternal 
state of man, and using also the very language of 
God — must have possessed words strictly expres- 
sive of absolute and unending duration. And as 
the phraseology now under consideration, is, of all, 
the most strongly expressive of that unwasting 
period: — therefore this phraseology was used by 
the inspired Hebrews, exclusively, for eternity ; 
either, past and future, or, future only. Thus, in 
the English language, the words, eternal, everlast- 
ing, perpetual, endless, and for ever, while they 
properly signify duration without end, are yet fre- 
quently used in a limited sense, in their application 
to temporal things : and so with all the Hebrew 
words taken separately. But as the English 
phraseology, for ever and ever, is confined in its 
signification to eternity, and always means endless 



ARGUMENT FIRST. 47 

duration ; just so with the corresponding Hebrew 
phraseology now before us ; its strict, grammatical, 
and only sense, is that of endless duration. 

2. The general usage of the phraseology accords 
with its grammatical sense. In every passage in 
which it occurs, it has the same signification as was 
ascertained and proved from its composition. The 
following are the examples found in the Hebrew 
Scriptures. 

Exodus xv : 18. "The Lord shall reign tjifi nhyh 
(bolam vaed) for ever and ever." Jehovah's empire 
is coeternal with his existence. 

Psal. ix : 5. " Thou hast put out their name" — 
the name of the wicked and the heathen — 
" (ijn oh)]; 1 )) for ever and ever." The sense is, that 
God had utterly ruined the enemies of Israel ; 
and that their " renown " was lost and gone for 
ever. 

Ibid, x: 16. " The Lord is King (njn tfritfi) for 
ever and ever." Jehovah's reign is, absolutely 
endless. 

Ibid, xxi : 4. " He asked life of thee, and thou 
gavest him, even length of days (njn D?iyS) for ever 
and ever." If this language be spoken of king 
David, then the " life he asked " was nothing less 
than a life of joy and peace in the future world; 
but if, as is more probable, and as commentators 
generally agree, it be understood of the Messiah, in 
this case, the blessedness he requested was, to be 
" glorified with that glory which he had with the 
Father before" time began ; but in either case, the 
life of bliss will never end. 



48 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

Ibid, xlv : 6. " Thy throne, O God, is (tj?i d 1 ?^) for 
ever and ever." Such is the language of God to 
his Anointed Son. The divine Messiah is "the 
King eternal." " Of his kingdom there shall be 
no end." 

Ibid. — 17. " I will make thy name to be re- 
membered in all generations ; therefore shall the 
people praise thee (ijfl thigh) for ever and ever." 
The sense is, that the Messiah, as the "Mediator 
between God and men," shall be proclaimed their 
Redeemer and Saviour through all ages, even to 
the latest generation, Himself freely dispensing his 
blessings ; and therefore, his ransomed ones shall 
give him praise throughout eternity. 

Ibid, xlviii : 1 4. " For this God is our God (tyi dSijj) 
for ever and ever." Jehovah's existence is eternal : 
His dominion over the universe is eternal : And 
His special reign over his people is of coequal du- 
ration. It may be objected, however, that the 
inspired Psalmist immediately expresses his mean- 
ing, thus : " He will be our guide even unto death." 
But this should be regarded as an inference, rather 
than a parallelism. Thus, " This God is ours for 
ever " — He hath pledged himself such ; His word 
can never fail ; surely, then, " He will be our 
uide"- — through life — " even unto death." 

Ibid, lii : 8. " But I am like a green olive tree" — 
to remain as a pillar, and flourish with unfading 
youth — " in the house of God : I trust in the mercy 
of God (n#i thiy) for ever and ever." It is the high- 
est " confidence " of the christian in his purest de- 
votions — such was David's holy confidence when 



6 



ARGUMENT FIRST. 49 

worshipping in the house of his God — to receive the 
divine " mercy" unto eternal life. 

Ibid, cxix : 44. " So shall I keep thy law con- 
tinually" — without interruption, and " (ijn thtyb) 
for ever and ever" — without end. 

Ibid, cxlv : 1, 2. "I will extol thee, my God, O 
King ; " sings the Psalmist of Israel : but fixing his 
eye on the future world of glory, he adds, " And 1 
will bless thy name (nyi vhvjb) for ever and ever" — 
in the world to come. " Every day " — while I live 
on the earth — "will I bless thee; and" — in thy 
hallowed courts above — "I will praise thy name " 
— on a harp of loftier devotion — "(-nj? oh)^) for 
ever and ever" — to all eternity. 

Ibid. — 21. " My mouth shall speak the praise 
of the Lord ; and let all flesh bless his holy 
name (ijn obipb) for ever and ever." Such is the 
immutable obligation resting upon all of human 
kind. 

Micah iv : 5. "For all people will walk every 
one in the name of his god, but we will walk in 
the name of the Lord our God (tjji uhv^) for ever 
and ever." That is, while deluded nations give 
honor to their false deities, we will confide in the 
great Jehovah : " We will walk in his name," at 
the present time, though it be through much tribu- 
lation ; but, on the Mount of God, whither we are 
bound, and in the celestial Paradise, we shall " walk 
with him in white" through long and happy ages. 

Dan. xii : 3. " And they that be wise shall shine 
as the brightness of the firmament" — all glorious 
and lovely, in the kingdom of their Father — " and 



50 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars 
for ever and ever." 

The examples above given of the phraseology 
under consideration, are the principal that occur in 
the Hebrew Scriptures ; and we have seen that, in 
every passage it signifies endless duration. Such 
is, certainly, the established — the only — meaning 
of the word now before us. 

There are, however, several other passages in 
which, in our own version, we find the English 
phraseology, " for ever and ever ; " but the render- 
ing is from a different original, and generally incor- 
rect, as in the following examples : Isa. xxx : 8. 
" That it" — namely, the writing — "may be for 
the time to come (u^y — \y iyh laad ad-olam) for ever 
and ever," according to the English version ; but, 
literally, for ever, after the legal sense. Such, too, 
is the sense of the LXX. The Hebrew ij?, ad, is 
used either as a noun or a preposition ; in the former 
case it imports duration; in the latter, it corresponds 
with the English words for, to, till, and the like. 
Now the word in question, in this, and a passage be- 
low, is used as a preposition. Again ; Isa.xxxiv : 10- 
"None shall pass through it" — namely, the land 
of Idumia — -" dthh STiJ 1 ? (lenatsah natsahim,) for 
ever and ever," as runs the English ; but literally, 
"to continuance of continuances." Or, according 
to the LXX, " for a very long time." But our 
translators, in rendering " for ever and ever," 
have given the common-sense view of an eternal 
desolation. Such is Idumia. Also, Jer. vii : 7 — " I 
will cause you to dwell in the land that I gave to 
your fathers (dSij; — ijn dTljrpb lemin olam vaed 



ARGUMENT FIRST. 51 

olam,) forever and ever," translated; but, as might 
more properly be rendered, from ancient times 
to future ages. This rendering seems also well 
sustained by the LXX. The sense of the passage 
appears to be, " That God had given the land 
of Canaan to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, from 
very ancient times, to be continued with their pos- 
terity down to future ages." See, also, Jer. xxv : 5. 

In the examples now given, the original phrase- 
ologies are different from the one in question; nor 
are they equivalent in sense to the English version. 

We cannot find a single example of the Hebrew 
(i>n obij^leolam vaed) having ever been used in the 
sense of limited duration. 

It has been proved, then, that this phraseology, 
both from its composition, and its uniform usage in 
the original Scriptures, signifies, universally, dura- 
tion without end. 

The argument, then, stands thus : 

We have proved that the Hebrew word (d 1 ?^) ren- 
dered "everlasting," (Dan. xii : 2,) signifies endless 
duration. This we have proved, 

1. From the general usage of the word. And 
the great objection to the contrary, — founded on a 
diversity of meaning — has been fairly met, and 
justly confuted. 

2. The sense of endless duration has been con- 
firmed by the fact, that the word is applied, not to 
the present, but future period of our existence — 
the unchanging state of man. 

3. Still further confirmed by the fact of its being 
applied, not only to the future period of existence 



52 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

in general, but, in particular, to the future " life " 
and bliss of the saints. 

4. And. finally, the sense of unending duration 
is more fully established, by the immediate use the 
prophet makes of the reduplicate form (ijn thtyh 
for ever and ever,) to express the same idea ; 
which last expression is never used in the limited 
sense. — Dan. xii : 2,3. 

It is thus fairly demonstrated, that the original 
word (dSij,*) in the passage before us, imports dura- 
tion without end. 

But, in the same passage, the word is applied to 
the future punishment — " shame and contempt" — 
of the wicked. 

We are therefore, bound to believe that the future 
punishment of the wicked will be endless. 



ARGUMENT SECOND. 



THE FUTURE PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED INFLICTED AFTER 
THE FINAL RESURRECTION OF MAN. 

" Marvel not at this ; for the hour is coming, in the which 
all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 

" And shall come forth ; they that have done good, unto 
the resurrection of life ; and they that have done evil, unto 
the resurrection of damnation." — John v : 28, 29. 

There subsists a strongly marked resemblance, in 
sense, between the passage now submitted for ex- 
amination, and the one in Daniel, (xii : 2,) just ex- 
plained. They both refer to the same period, and 
express substantially the same great truths — the 
resurrection of the dead, the future happiness of 
the righteous, and the future misery of the wicked. 
But, notwithstanding such parallelism, the diversity 
of language used, in a case of argumentation like 
this, proceeding upon the critical sense and analysis 
of words, sufficiently justifies our course in giving 
a distinct consideration to the present passage. 

The doctrine of future and endless punishment, 
as here developed, is based upon the fact, that in 
the words before us is taught the final resurrection 
of man. Now, that such a resurrection is taught, 
is obvious for the following reasons : 



54 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

1 . The language of the text demands it. At pre- 
sent we confine ourselves to two words only, those 
rendered "grave" and " resurrection." 

The word translated "grave," (pvrjpsiov mnemeion, 
the same as [ivy pa mnema,) is the one generally 
used by the writers of the New Testament to des- 
ignate the place where the body is deposited after 
death. And the word is always used in a literal 
sense. See the following places where it occurs : 
Sometimes translated " grave," as, Matt, xxvii : 
52, 53. Luke xi: 44. John xi: 17, 38; xii : 17. 
Rev. xi: 9. Sometimes rendered "sepulchre," as, 
Matt, xxiii : 29 ; xxvii : 60. Mark xv : 46; xvi : 2, 
3, 5, 8. Luke xxiii: 55; xxiv : 1. Acts ii : 29; 
vii : 16. And, also, elsewhere translated "tomb," 
as in the following places : Matt, viii : 28 ; xxvii : 
60. Mark v: 2; vi: 29. Luke viii: 27. Not a 
single passage is there in the New Testament in 
which the word under consideration is used in a 
tropical sense. Then, from the general- — the uni- 
versal — meaning of the word, we come to no 
doubtful, but the certain conclusion, that, in this 
passage, also, it literally means the " grave." But, 
if so, the " resurrection " also must be literal. 

But further : The literal and general signification 
of the word translated " resurrection," (avaataats, 
anastasis,) is that of rising from the grave, or from 
the state of natural death. It occurs in the follow- 
ing places : Matt, xxii: 23, 28, 30, 31. Mark xii : 
18, 23. Luke xiv : 14; xx: 27,33,35,36. John 
xi : 24, 25. Acts i : 22 ; ii : 31; iv : 2 ; xvii : 18, 32 ; 
xxiii: 6; xxiv: 15, 21. Rom. i: 4; vi: 5. lCor.xv: 



ARGUMENT SECOND. 55 

13,21, 42. Phil.iii: 10, 11. 2 Tim. ii : 18. Heb. 
vi : 2 ; xi : 35. 1 Pet. i : 3 ; iii : 21. In all the pas- 
sages now referred to, there can be no misunder- 
standing as to the signification of the word : It is 
to be understood, thus far, in a literal sense only. 
In Rev. xx : 5, 6, the term occurs in. possibly, a dif- 
ferent sense: " This is the first resurrection: — 
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first 
resurrection." But on these passages divines them- 
selves are not agreed as to the kind of change, 
whether physical or spiritual, which the faithful 
shall undergo at the commencement of the millen- 
nium. In the following passage the word seems 
rather to be used in a metaphorical sense : Luke ii : 
34. — " Behold, this child is set for the fall and 
rising again " (literally, resurrection,) " of many in 
Israel." He, namely, the Messiah, " is set for the 
fall of many," as thus predicted; "He shall be for 
a stone of stumbling — to both the houses of Israel. 
And many among them shall stumble, and fall." — 
Isa. viii : 15. He is also " set for the resurrection 
of many," as saith the apostle ; " He hath raised 
us up together, and made us sit together, in heav- 
enly places in Christ Jesus." — Eph. ii: 6. But, 
after all, why may not the word in Luke (ii : 34) 
have reference, for its full accomplishment, to " the 
redemption of the body?" We have now referred 
to all the places in which the word is found in the 
New Testament; and its universal signification, 
where the sense is not doubtful, is that of the resur- 
rection of the body. From the literal meaning of 
the text, then, in the passage before us, it is plain — 



56 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

too plain, it would seem, for controversy — that our 
Lord teaches the doctrine of a physical resurrection. 

Now, either of the terms — " grave " and " resur- 
rection" — used separately, would have been suffi- 
cient to substantiate the doctrine. Had the former 
only been used, then, the coming forth from the 
graves, could have imported nothing less than the 
rising of the body to life. Or, in the absence of 
this, had " resurrection " only occurred, it would 
have signified the deliverance of the body from the 
grave. But whereas the two words are used in 
connection, the sense of physical resurrection is 
conveyed with double clearness, and the doctrine 
proved to a demonstration. But still further: 

2. The same doctrine is proved from the nature 
of the case — the very different characters of the 
persons raised, and the corresponding difference in 
their states after the resurrection. 

The characters of the persons are thus given ; 
" They that have done good, and they that have- 
done evil." Now this description of characters 
corresponds not with fact, if the passage be under- 
stood in the moral sense. If, by the grave, be 
understood, as in the moral interpretation, a state 
of nature — including " ignorance, guilt, and bond- 
age," a deadness to all that is good and holy, a 
"death in trespasses and sins" — then how can 
persons in such a condition, be said to "have done 
good?" Impossible. "When the Lord looked down 
from heaven upon the children of men" — in this 
state of moral death, superstition, and condemna- 
tion — " to see if there were any that did understand, 



ARGUMENT SECOND. 57 

and seek God," the following was the result of 
that most awful scrutiny : " They are all gone 
aside, they are all together become filthy ; there is 
none that doeth good, no, not one." — Psal.xiv: 2, 3. 
Such is the uniform tenor of divine testimony as 
touching human character in its lapsed estate. But, 
if man in his natural condition — in a state of sin 
and misery — be thus "evil," so that, among all 
the sons of Adam, there is " not one" exception; 
then the grave cannot denote this moral condition 
of our nature ; because, of " those who are in the 
graves, some have done good." We are therefore 
compelled to embrace the sense of physical resur- 
rection : for the righteous, " who have done good," 
go down to the " grave," as well as the wicked. 

The same conclusion follows, from the fact, that 
the dead are raised up to very different states : 
" They that have done good, unto the resurrection 
of life ; and they that have done evil, unto the res- 
urrection of damnation." The original word (xpuns, 
crisis,) here translated " damnation," is to be some- 
times understood in the general sense of judgment; 
and at others, in the particular sense of condemna- 
tion. Its ordinary meaning is that of judgment 
unto condemnation. Accordingly, in the connection, 
the word is variously rendered : Thus, (John v : 22,) 
" The Father — hath given all judgment {x^w) 
unto the Son." Again he saith, (v. 24,) " He that 
heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent 
me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into 
condemnation, (xpicLv)" The very contrast used 
makes it manifest that here the word is to be 



58 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

understood in the sense of condemnation, thus : 
" Hath everlasting life, and shall not come into 
condemnation" — the opposite of "life." And to 
further confirm the sense, it is immediately added, 
"But is passed from death unto life." The judg- 
ment (xpiGL$) mentioned is in every way the very 
opposite of the true "life." Such, then, is the 
sense of the judgment — "damnation" — in the 
passage before us ; (ver. 29,) it is the judgment unto 
condemnation: or, rather, it is the condemnation 
itself. Now, if our Lord in the passage under dis- 
cussion, spake of the moral change only ; then it 
becomes exceedingly difficult — not to say impossi- 
ble — to give a rational interpretation : because, 
we are reduced to the necessity of supposing that 
" some" are raised from the " grave " — the state of 
moral death — "unto condemnation;" which is ab- 
surd. All who arise from moral death, rise to moral 
life ; but a part only of those that " come forth from 
the graves," rise to " life ; " and therefore the " res- 
urrection" cannot be understood in the moral sense, 
but must be understood in the physical sense. 

3. The proof of this proposition becomes further 
confirmed by the marked and striking contrast be- 
tween the moral and physical renovations, as pre- 
sented in this connection : Thus, 

Moral renovation ; " Verily, verily, I say unto 
you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead 
shall hear the voice of the Son of God ; and they 
that hear shall live." — ver. 25. 

Physical renovation ; (" Marvel not at this ; for) 
the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the 



ARGUMENT SECOND. 59 

graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth ; 
they that have done good, unto the resurrection of 
life ; and they that have done evil, unto the resur- 
rection of damnation," — vers. 28, 29. 

Now, the two changes differ materially in the 
following points : 

1st. As to time. In describing the moral change, 
the Messiah saith, " The hour is coming, and now 
is : " But in reference to the physical one, He sim- 
ply says, " The hour is coming." The moral re- 
novation then, is both present and future, in all 
periods and dispensations : the physical one, future 
only, at the end of time. 

2d. In point of number. While, however, our 
Lord says nothing on this when announcing the 
moral change ; He is specific in his language, and 
universal in the term he uses, when speaking of 
the (final) "resurrection:" — "All that are in the 
graves." So far, indeed, as regards the application 
of the words to the times of the apostles, and the 
primitive days of Christianity, they will not admit 
of a rational construction, according to the moral 
theory ; because, " all that were in the graves," of 
darkness and superstition, and the insensibility of 
moral death, did not arise from that condition, nor 
become changed from this character — they did not 
pass from death unto "life ;" but for long — long 
— ages after, they still continued in moral darkness 
and ruin : But, according to the literal sense, the 
language is plain, and easy to be understood. The 
final change shall pass upon " All that are in the 
graves." 



60 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

3d. The two changes differ in their immediate 
effects. In reference to the moral change, He saith, 
" They that hear — the voice of the Son of God — 
shall live : " As touching the physical one, — "They 
shall come forth." In metaphorical language, this 
last might be understood in the moral sense ; but 
not without special reason. The very word was 
applied to Lazarus, when he was raised from the 
dead ; and as it was literal in that application, so 
should it be understood in this. 

4th. In the ultimate results the contrast is great. 
While a part only of the morally dead hear the 
still small voice of Jesus ; yet all who do hear, rise 
to spiritual "life." On the contrary, while " all " 
the physically dead " shall hear the voice of the Son 
of God " in the last day ; yet a part only shall rise to 
a happy " life ; " and the others, to " condemnation." 

From the antithesis, then, between the two 
changes, we conclude that they cannot import the 
same thing; and, consequently, that while the for- 
mer is generally understood of the moral renova- 
tion, the latter refers to the final resurrection. 

4. The proposition is confirmed by the manner in 
which the words are introduced. Our Lord first 
teaches the doctrine of a moral change upon the 
heart — (vet. 25,) which He, in common with His 
Father, has power to effect — ver. 26. Then He adds, 
"Marvel not at this:" — Be not surprised at the 
doctrine, that with me is lodged the power to re- 
generate the heart, and thus give spiritual " life " to 
those who are dead in trespasses and sins : "Marvel 
not at this" — as if it were too great an exercise of 



ARGUMENT SECOND. 61 

power and prerogative ; " For," on the contrary, 
" the hour is coming, in the which all that are in 
the graves shall hear his voice," and be weakened 
into life; "And shall come forth" from the 
graves ; the righteous, to life and honor ; and 
the wicked, to misery and gloom. Such is the 
manner in which the passage before us is intro- 
duced. It proceeds upon the supposition, that the 
transaction now declared is greater than the one 
which had just been announced. As if our Lord 
had said, " If you seem to marvel at what I state 
in reference to a moral revivification ; then, what 
will be your surprise when I tell you that " the hour 
is coming when," at my bidding, the sleeping dust 
of every age and nation shall, " in the twinkling of 
an eye," wake up into conscious being, to the awful 
retributions of the final judgment." And, in 
making his transition from the moral to the physi- 
cal resurrection, we should expect Him to use such 
language ; for, though the physical resurrection be 
not greater in itself, yet, considering the extent of 
the work, the grand display of divine attributes, and 
the awful consequences immediately resulting, it 
becomes the more worthy of w r onder and surprise. 
The Great Teacher, not only rises upon His subject, 
but gh 7 es his hearers the clearest intimations of it. 
But, according to the moral view, the whole is 
wrapped in obscurity. For, according to this, our 
Lord first teaches a grave and important lesson, 
then gives intimation of one still more wonderful, 
but simply repeats the same truth, thus : " They 
who are morally dead shall rise to spiritual life : 



62 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

Marvel not at this ; for they who are in the ' graves ' 
of moral death shall come forth to a holy and happy 
life." Such is not the method in which our Lord 
instructed his disciples. But, supposing He first 
teaches the moral, and then the physical change ; 
and all is plain and simple. 

5. In connection with the reasons now given, 
and as further corroborative of the proposition, it 
may be remarked, that the language used in the 
passage before us is just such as the Jews of our 
Saviour's time would have used to express the doc- 
trine of a physical resurrection. In such a resur- 
rection they believed ; and in similar language they 
expressed their faith. When our Lord came to 
comfort Martha and Mary concerning Lazarus, He 
saith to the former, "Thy brother shall rise again. 
Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise 
again in the resurrection at the last day." — John xi : 
23, 24. In this we perceive, not the belief only of 
the persons engaged in discourse, but the manner 
also in which they expressed that belief; "I know 
that he shall rise again in the resurrection." The 
Evangelist Matthew, to express a physical resurrec- 
tion, employs language very similar to that which 
is used in the passage under consideration. At the 
resurrection of Christ, saith he, "the graves were 
opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept 
arose, And came out of the graves after the resur- 
rection." — Matt, xxvii : 52, 53. Here is used just 
the same language as that which occurs in the 
passage before us — "graves," "resurrection," and 
"coming out of the graves." But in the passage 



ARGUMENT SECOND. 63 

just referred to, there can be no hesitancy as to the 
meaning conveyed by the words of the historian. 
Also, the Jews, generally, in the days of the apos- 
tles, believed in the physical resurrection, as is evi- 
dent from what Paul says in his defense, declaring 
that "he had hope tow 7 ard God, which they them- 
selves " — namely, the Jews, — " also allowed, that 
there should be a resurrection of the dead, both of 
the just and unjust." — Acts xxiv : 15. Such, then, 
was the belief of the Jews in the primitive age of 
Christianity; that there wall be a general resurrec- 
tion of the dead; that the "just" will rise to hap- 
piness, and the "unjust" to misery. Now it is 
always to be expected that a judicious teacher will 
adapt his language to his scholars, or his hearers 
in general. But our Lord's disciples, being Jews, 
would understand Him, in the passage under dis- 
cussion, to teach the doctrine of a physical resur- 
rection : Therefore, such a resurrection is evidently 
taught. 

But notwithstanding all the evidence in favor of 
the interpretation above given — that of the final 
resurrection of man — several objections are brought 
against it. Let us state them briefly, and examine 
their merits. 

1. It is objected, that the passage under consid- 
eration, (John v : 28, 29,) cannot refer to a general 
resurrection; because no mention is made of any 
but such as are " in the graves : " But as all the 
dead are not thus interred, therefore it cannot prove 
the resurrection of all. 



64 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

Ans. Among the Jews and other nations it was 
a general custom to bury the dead. Also, it was in 
accordance with Jewish style to frequently use the 
Synecdoche, thereby expressing the whole for a 
part, or a part for the whole : thus, the soul fre- 
quently denotes the whole man. But it is not 
necessary to resort to this figure of speech to con- 
fute the objection. Grave being the name of the 
place prepared as the receptacle of the dead body, 
the name, in process of time, becomes applied to 
such place of deposite, wherever or whatever it 
may be. Thus : " to find a watery grave," is to be 
overwhelmed, lost, or buried, in the waters. The 
phraseology, then, " all that are in the graves," de- 
notes all who return to their primitive dust. Ac- 
cordingly, " the dry bones," in EzekiePs vision, 
were laying exposed " in the open valley ; " (xxxvii : 
2,) and yet they were in their graves,"- vers. 12, 13. 

2. It is further objected, that no mention is 
made of those who have done neither good nor 
evil, as infants and idiots, which die in a state of 
nature. 

Ans. It is a general rule in the Bible to divide 
the human race into two great classes — the right- 
eous and the wicked, believers and unbelievers. 
And as these two general divisions, which ordi- 
narily include the whole human family, are found 
in the passage before us, I see no just reason why 
they should be made, in this place, to refer to a 
part only. But, to settle the matter and place it 
beyond dispute, Paul, when treating on the general 
resurrection, as is admitted by all, uses the phrase 



ARGUMENT SECOND. 65 

"every man," making no mention of infants and 
idiots. — 1 Cor. xv : 23. 

3. Another objection is, that some have done 
both good and evil ; of whom our Lord says 
nothing. ( ! ) 

Ans. A man's established character does not 
depend, ordinarily, upon a few acts — the mere ex- 
ceptions to the general rule. He is characterized 
by the general tenor of his life, or its closing scene. 
— Ezek. xxxiii : 13-16. Besides, as is universally 
admitted, the most vicious perform some virtuous 
actions, while the very best are guilty of many of- 
fences. Such is the case as a general rule. But, 
if so ; then the objection, if it prove anything, 
proves too much : — it even proves that the passage 
in dispute does not refer to man at all ; because, as 
is admitted, every man has done both some good 
and some evil ; but such a character is not de- 
scribed as rising from the dead. 

4. The vision of "dry bones" supplies ground of 
farther objection. — Ezek. xxxvii : 1-14. To the 
prophet was represented " a valley full of dry 
bones : the bones w^ere in their graves : they came 
up out of their graves, and stood upon their feet." 
Yet " these dry bones " were the house of Israel in 
their Babylonish captivity. The language is as 
strong as that used by our Lord ; and yet the " res- 
urrection" spoken of was not a physical one: — 
The whole is metaphorical. 

Ans. True ; the prophet did, in strong language, 
speak of a " resurrection," in describing the deliv- 
erance of the Israelites from their captivity at 



66 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

Babylon : but we regard his language as figurative, 
simply because the context so demands : thus, 
" Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones 
are the whole house of Israel." — ver. 11. Thus we 
are compelled to admit that the language of the 
prophet in this passage is to be understood in the 
tropical sense ; but if the context had not so de- 
manded, then should we be equally bound to under- 
stand the language according to its literal import. 
Now, the literal meaning of words may be departed 
from when the context demands it ; but the context 
does demand it, in this passage of Ezekiel. Yet 
" the literal meaning of words should not be de- 
parted from unless the context demand it:" but 
the context does not so demand in the passage under 
discussion. — John v: 28, 29. The objection, then, 
falls harmless. 

5. But, finally, it is objected that the connection 
of the passage (John v : 28, 29,) imperiously de- 
mands the metaphorical interpretation ; because, 
our Lord first makes mention of moral "life;" 
(vers. 24,25,) and why, so soon, should he change 
the subject? 

Ans. It is readily admitted that our Saviour 
speaks of the moral change when He says, " The 
dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God ; and 
they that hear shall live." But then, from this very 
fact, it has before been proved that, in the passage 
following, He must have spoken of another, and, 
consequently, a physical resurrection : Because, 
having first stated that the morally dead shall be 
raised to spiritual life, He immediately adds, giving 



ARGUMENT SECOND. 67 

the fullest intimation of a change of subject, and 
rising in the scale of gradation to a grander thought : 
" Marvel not at this ; for the hour is coming in the 
which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 
And shall come forth." Thus, treating on the gen- 
eral subject of " life," our Lord makes the happiest 
transition from the moral to the physical resurrec- 
tion. This objection, indeed, furnishes data for an 
insuperable argument in support of the proposition 
for which we contend. 

Thus, briefly, we have fairly met, and logically 
confuted, the objections to the physical resurrection 
as taught in the present passage, — John v : 28, 29. 

The argument, then, stands thus : If the literal 
signification of words, prove anything — If the nature 
and necessity of the case, prove anything — If marked 
and striking contrasts, prove anything —If the manner 
in which a passage is introduced, prove anything — 
If the conformity of language to the views and sen- 
timents of a people, prove anything — If all these 
evidences combined, and meeting in a single point, 
prove anything : Then, also, from the passage at 
issue, is fairly proved, and even demonstrated, the 
doctrine of the physical resurrection of man. 

Also, after the resurrection, some shall be pun- 
ished — " They that have done evil, shall come forth 
from the graves to the resurrection of damnation." 

But punishment inflicted after the resurrection 
will be eternal. This is obvious. 

1. Beyond that period all is changeless. The 
Living Oracles throw light on the present hopes and 
prospects of man. They conduct his feeble vision 



68 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

down to the future world ; and there remains fixed 
the star of his destiny. Some, at that time, come 
forth to "life;" and others, to "condemnation." 
Now, as the Bible intimates no change beyond that 
event, and yet represents some as sentenced to 
misery, it follows that such misery will continue 
without change. We have no authority for sup- 
posing, nor is there the least intimation, that any 
change will ever take place in their condition. So 
far, then, as regards the evidence bearing upon the 
case, we are bound to consider the state of misery 
changeless ; and, consequently, endless. 

2. The "life" awarded to the righteous at the 
"resurrection" will be endless. Even though, in 
any given case, the Bible were silent as to the du- 
ration of their bliss, our faith would be none the 
less strong in its perpetuity; simply because the 
condition of man, in that far future era, will be 
changeless. When the righteous, in the resurrec- 
tion, are represented as rising to " life," no doubt 
was ever expressed as to its unending duration. 
And as the " condemnation " of the wicked is con- 
trasted with the "life" of the righteous — a life 
that will never end — it follows, that such condem- 
nation also will be endless. 

3. But finally, we are relieved of the necessity 
of proving that the condition of man subsequent to 
the resurrection will be unchangeably fixed. This 
is admitted by those who contend for the final sal- 
vation of all mankind. It is even contended that — 
" in the resurrection, a change is to be effected, by 
which all mankind shall be brought into a state of 



ARGUMENT SECOND. btf 

holiness, happiness, and immortality." This final 
change, then, will not be fully effected before that 
event; nor will it pass on any of human kind after 
that grand transaction. But we have proved, that 
the happy change will then pass upon the righteous 
only ; and " they who have done evil shall come 
forth from the graves to condemnation." 

Now, we have proved that punishment, if in- 
flicted after the resurrection, will be endless. 

We have also shown, and proved, from the pas- 
sage under consideration, (John v: 28, 29,) that 
" some" shall be punished after the resurrection — 
that " they shall come forth to the resurrection of 
damnation." 

Therefore, it follows — and we are compelled to 
this conclusion — that the future punishment of the 
wicked will be endless. 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 



THE TORMENTS OF GEHENNA IN THE FUTURE WORLD, ENDLESS. 



" And fear not them that kill the body, but are not able to 
kill the soul : but rather fear him which is able to destroy 
both soul and body in hell."— Matt, x : 28. 

" And I say unto you, my friends, Be not afraid of them that 
kill the body, and after that, have no more that they can do : 

" But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear ; Fear him, 
which after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell ; yea, 
J say unto you, Fear him."— Luke xii : 4, 5 k 

"And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for 
thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go 
into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched. 

* Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 

" And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee 
to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into 
hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched ; 

" Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 

" And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out ; it is better for 
thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than 
having two eyes to be cast into hell-fire ; 



72 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

" Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." 
Mark ix : 43-48. 

The word translated " hell " in the text, is, uni- 
formly, ysswa, (geeiina or gehenna.) It is compound- 
ed of two Hebrew words, namely, a\j (gia,) a valley, 
and Din (Hinnom,) the name of a person; literally 
the valley of Hinnom : and this, a contraction of 
Djrr*p km, (gia ben Hinnom,) the valley of the son 
of Hinnom. Gehenna, (a corruption of the origi- 
nal.) was the name of a valley southeast of Jeru- 
salem and closely adjoining, which, as is probable, 
belonged originally to a man by the name of Hin- 
nom, and hence was called " the valley of Hinnom ;" 
but, having passed into the hands of his sons, it 
was denominated "the valley of the children of 
Hinnom ;" and finally, the right having been vested 
in the person of one of his descendants, it became 
generally known as " the valley of the son of Hin- 
nom." — Josh, xv : 8; xviii : 16. 2 Kings xxiii : 
10. 2 Chron. xxviii : 3; xxxiii : 6. Jer. xix : 2 ; 
xxxii : 35. 

Gehenna, or the valley of Hinnom ; was noto- 
rious for idolatry and cruelty. " It had been the 
place of those abominable sacrifices in which the 
idolatrous Jews burned their children alive to Mo- 
loch, Baal, or the Sun. A particular place in this 
valley was called Tophet, and the valley itself the 
valley of Tophet," as Parkhurst supposes, "from 
the fire-stoye,"(which he maintains is the meaning 
of Tophet,) " in which they burned their children to 
Moloch. See 2 Kings xxiii : 10. 2 Chron. xxviii : 3. 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 73 

Jer. vii: 81, 32; xix : 5, 6; xxxii: 35." Though 
others suppose that this name was given it from 
Toph, a tabret or drum : because, at the time the 
deluded worshipers were sacrificing their sons and 
daughters, the drum was beaten to prevent the 
groans and cries of the innocent victims from being 
heard. But whichever of these is signified by 
Tophet, the circumstance sufficiently illustrates the 
cruelty of that idolatrous worship. 

The valley of Hinnom was equally noted for its 
pollution. It is said that Josiah the king of Judah 
" defiled Tophet, which is in the valley of the chil- 
dren of Hinnom, that no man — might make his 
son or his daughter to pass through the fire to 
Moloch.- ' He put an end to the idolatry and cru- 
elty of the place ; — " And he brake in pieces the 
images, and cut down the groves, and filled their 
places with the bones of men." — 2 Kings xxiii : 
10-14. From this time Tophet became as much 
noted for its filth, as it had before been notorious 
for its horrid cruelties. And still on for ages, the 
carcasses of animals, the dead bodies of malefac- 
tors, and all manner of filth, were thrown into 
this place. 

So much pollution having been collected in one 
place so near Jerusalem, what could be more 
natural than for the citizens, both for their health 
and comfort, to keep up a fire in the place, for the 
purpose of consuming the carcasses and all the 
filth? To this, it is supposed, the prophet alludes 
in the following words : " And they shall go forth, 
and look upon the carcasses of the men that have 
7 



74 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

transgressed against me ; for their worm dieth 
not, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they 
shall be an abhorring unto all flesh." — Isa. lxvi : 
24. The prophet here alludes, at the same time, to 
the " carcasses " of wicked men thrown into the 
place, the " worms " naturally and constantly bred 
by those carcasses, the "fire" kept burning to con- 
sume them, and the utmost "abhorrence" with 
which they were regarded by " all " the good and 
the virtuous. 

In the valley of Hinnom, then, we see combined 
the ideas of idolatry, cruelty, pollution, consuming 
fire, and probably also, just punishment by burning 
the notorious malefactor alive; (Lev. xx : 14; xxi: 
9;) and as these constituted, in the mind of a Jew, 
the most prominent ideas of future punishment, it 
is altogether rational to suppose that in process of 
time, the Jews would, by gehenna, understand the 
place or state of misery beyond the grave. 

We now proceed to ascertain with more accu- 
racy, the sense we should attach to gehenna in the 
New Testament. But as further introductory to 
the Argument, two things we would premise. 

1st. By 4&&17, (psyche,) the "soul," in the text be- 
fore us, is meant the rational immortal spirit. 

The original word, it is true, has various signi- 
fications, and is variously rendered. Among its 
most prominent meanings are the following : 
1. Person, embracing both body and mind, thus; 
"Let every soul (^vxv) be subject to the higher 
powers." — Rom. xiii : 1. That is, let every person — 



ARGUMENT THLRD. 75 

every man — be subject. 2. It denotes the moral 
powers, or these, perhaps, as closely connected with 
animal life ; as thus : " I pray God your whole 
spirit, and soul, (4^**7) and body," the whole man 
intellectually, morally, and physically, — "be pre- 
served blameless unto the coming of our Lord 
Jesus Christ." — 1 Thess. v : 23. The apostle also 
elsewhere mentions " the dividing asunder of soul 
fovzvs) an d s pi r it." — Heb. iv : 12. In these passages 
w r e may probably understand by the word in ques- 
tion, that part of the man which is the seat of 
desires and affections. 3. The word before us is 
also used to signify the soul of man in all its pow- 
ers, both intellectual and moral : the apostle, to his 
beloved Gaius, appears thus to use it, — " Beloved, 
I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper 
and be in health, even as thy soul (4^^) prosper- 
eth." — 3 John 2. The "prospering of the soul,'' 
in this passage, is " its growing in grace, and in 
the knowledge of Christ." It imports the spirit- 
ual improvement of all the intellectual and moral 
powers. 

In this last sense, including all the powers of man, 
both intellectual and moral — that of the rational 
immortal spirit — the word frequently occurs in the 
New Testament. The apostle Peter represents 
Christ as saying from the book of Psalms, " Thou 
wilt not leave my soul (^vzv v ) i n hell 5 (adov hadou,) 
(the invisible world, or state of separate spirits,) 
neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One, (His conse- 
crated flesh,) to see corruption." — Acts ii : 27. 
compared with ver. 31. Thus the soul of Christ 



76 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

was in the world of spirits, while His body was in 
the tomb. But John in vision makes this matter 
clear to a demonstration : — He says of the mar- 
tyrs, " I saw under the altar the souls (^vzag) of 
them that were slain for the word God." — Rev. 
vi : 9. Thus, after their bodies had been " slain," 
the "souls" of the martyrs still lived: — "And 
white robes were given to every one of them ; and 
it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for 
a little season, until their fellow- servants also, and 
their brethren, that should be killed as they were, 
should be fulfilled." — ver. 11. Language fails to 
express a proposition more clearly than the one 
before us, that the soul dies not with the body. 

But even if the position were questionable from 
other sources ; still, the manner in which the w r ord 
is used in the text, should for ever settle the ques- 
tion as to its meaning in this place. Our Lord 
says, " Fear not them which kill the body, but (are) 
not (able to kill) the soul." Now, suppose the 
" soul" denotes the animal life, as is maintained by 
those w r ho impugn the doctrine of future punish- 
ment ; then the language amounts to this — " Fear 
not them that kill the body, but (are) not (able to 
kill) the animal life." But in reference to man, 1 
would inquire, what is the animal life? It is, I 
also answer, the life of man as an animal with- 
out either moral feelings or intellectual endow- 
ments. And what is it, I would further inquire, to 
kill the animal life ? It is, I freely answer, and as 
all must acknowledge, it is to kill the life of the 
body. It follows, then, that in "killing the body," 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 77 

we take away the animal life. But our Lord 
makes mention of " killing the body, but — not — 
the soul." It follows, therefore, that the "soul" is 
not the animal life. Moreover : Nothing in man 
survives the body but the rational immortal spirit. 
But the " soul" mentioned is " not killed" with the 
body; and consequently, lives after the body is 
dead — survives the body. Therefore again it fol- 
lows, that our Lord speaks not of the animal life, 
but of the rational immortal spirit. 

But view the passage in another aspect : " Fear 
not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill 
the soul. " According to the view of the passage 
just above given, we have shown that the "soul" 
must be the immortal spirit of man, from the fact, 
that it dies not with his body. But now we notice 
another fact, namely, that they who kill the body, 
M are not able to kill the soul." If, now, the soul be 
the animal-life, then they who could kill the animal 
life, could kill the soul. But the ancient persecu- 
tors could — and did — kill the physical or animal 
life. Did they, then, or could they, kill the soul? 
But our Lord says, they " could not." As therefore 
they had power to destroy the animal life, but not 
the soul; the soul is not that life. And as they 
were able to kill all pertaining to man, except the 
immortal spirit, but yet "could not kill the soul;" 
it follows again, and finally, that the " soul " must 
be that very immortal spirit. If there were no other 
passage in all the Book of God bearing on this 
point, this one in itself would be sufficient to es- 
tablish the position beycnd all further controversy, 



78 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

that the soul is the immortal spirit — independent of 
the body, and destined to exist in a separate state. 
But we are laid under the necessity of attending 
to an objection. It is maintained that the original 
word (^vzYi) rendered soul, does sometimes mean the 
physical or animal life ; and therefore, such may be 
its meaning in the passage before us. We answer: 
Admitting it does ; this gives not the least disturb- 
ance to the argument now submitted. The English 
word soul is used with a similar latitude, and has 
various meanings : as, human being, vital principle, 
immortal spirit, interior power, and the like. But 
should any teacher of standing affirm, that a man 
may kill the body, but not the soul, who could have 
the daring to offer the criticism, that as the term 
soul has a number of significations it is therefore 
quite uncertain what sense should be attached to it 
in the position just taken? The truth is, in all 
such cases, the manner in which the word is used 
fixes its meaning. Indeed, exceptions might be 
taken to any word. The Hebrew word b^d, (nep- 
hesh,) the Greek, 4^17, (psyche,) and the English, 
soul, correspond in meaning; as also, the Hebrew, 
nn, (ruach,) the Greek, 7tv$vp&, (pneuma,) and the 
English, spirit. Now had spirit occurred in the 
text, instead of soul, the same objection could be 
urged ; for Solomon says, " Who knoweth the spirit 
of man that goeth upward, and the spirit (Heb. 
nn, ruach, LXX, rivEvpa, pneuma,) of the beast that 
goeth downward to the earth?" — Eccles. iii : 21. 
We could charitably hope the objection may cease 
to be urged. Certainly, at least, it is very harmless. 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 79 

Finally : Besides the direct arguments in support 
of the position, that the " soul " fazy) denotes the 
immortal spirit — the word is even more appro- 
priate than spirit (niEvua) to express the proper and 
sensible subject of futuve misery: 1. Because the 
former word more generally denotes that part of 
the man which is the seat of passions — the moral 
feelings, desires, and affections. Xow it is by these 
moral sensibilities of the soul that we experience 
the keenness of distress and woe, rather than by 
the purely intellectual powers of the spirit : and it 
is therefore reasonable to suppose, that, to desig- 
nate the fit subject — the sufferer — of great dis- 
tress, our Divine Teacher would use the former term 
in preference to the latter. 2. Because, also, the 
word soul {yvxr) is of more comprehensive import 
than spirit, (^rua.) Accordingly, the former is 
used to denote the whole man, spirit, soul, and 
body ; while the latter, more generally, is employed 
with a special reference to intellectual power and 
capacity. Xow, as the whole man is to be pun- 
ished, and the soul comprehends such vast powers, it 
is altogether rational to suppose that, in the present 
case, our Lord would use the word in question. 

2d. The agent " which is able to destroy both 
soul and body," is God; (and not the Roman power 
or magistrate, as contended by some who deny the 
doctrine of future torment.) This position is 
obvious enough. 

The injunction pervades the Bible, to fear God. 
While we are laid under the obligation to give to 
all their dues, this tribute belongs to Jehovah — 



80 D0CTR[NE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

"Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear 
God. Honor the king." 

But further : We are even prohibited from fear- 
ing any one else: "Say ye not, A confederacy," 
saith the prophet, " to all them to whom this people 
shall say, A confederacy ; neither fear ye their fear, 
nor be afraid. Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; 
and let him be your fear, and let him be your 
dread." — Isa. viii : 12, 13. " Fear thou not, O my 
servant Jacob; neither be thou dismayed, O Israel," 
was the voice of Jehovah to His ancient people. 
" Be not afraid of their terror," the terror of perse- 
cutors, "neither be troubled," saith the apostle "to 
the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, 
Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia." Indeed, the tenor 
of all the apostolical precepts to the disciples on 
this matter, is, to be " in nothing terrified by their 
adversaries." 

The correctness of this view is further confirmed 
by the context. Our Lord declares that "the 
brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and 
the father the child ; and the children shall rise up 
against their parents, and cause them to be put to 
death;" and that the disciples "shall be hated of 
all men for his name's sake ; " and then imme- 
diately adds, "Fear them not." — Matt x : 21-26. 
" Fear not them which kill the body : but fear Him 
which is able to destroy both soul and body." What 
can be more evident than that our Lord referred to 
God alone as the object of our fear? 

Besides : If He gave a command to fear the Ro- 
man power, it was a law subversive of the purest 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 81 

regulations of the Bible ; and one which neither 
He himself nor any of His apostles ever observed. 
In this case the Messiah never exemplified His own 
rule. He was ever intrepid in the presence of his 
adversaries. And how fearless and bold was Paul 
on all occasions ! His language exhibits a magna- 
nimity truly heroic and grand : — " The Lord is my 
helper," saith he ; "I w T ill not fear what man shall do 
unto me." It is, then, placed beyond all probabil- 
ity — the matter is brought to a certainty — that the 
agent mentioned in the text, "who" only "is able 
to destroy both soul and body," and " whom " only 
" we should fear:" — this great agent is not the 
Roman authority, ( ! ) but God Himself. 

These things premised and proved, namely : that 
the " soul " is the rational immortal spirit ; and, the 
agent possessing "power to destroy both soul and 
body," is God ; — w^e now more particularly proceed 
with the Argument. 

First. The original word y^wa (gehenna) "hell," 
as used in the text, symbolizes the torments of the 
wicked beyond the grave. In proof of this propo- 
sition, we submit the following arguments. 

1st. The manner in which it is generally used by 
Christ and His apostles in the New Testament, 
conducts to this conclusion. To illustrate and con- 
firm this argument, let us advert to the several pas- 
sages in which the word is found. 

Matt v: 22. " But I say unto you, That whoso- 
ever is angry with his brother without a cause, 
shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever 



82 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of 
the council ; but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, 
shall be in danger of &f v ysswavtov xv?&$ (ten gehennan 
tou puros) hell-fire." In this passage our Lord 
mentions three different degrees of guilt : 1 . Anger 
— " being angry with a brother " — man, or member 
of the human family — "without" — or above — 
"cause." 2. Contempt — "saying to a brother, 
Raca," that is, vain, worthless fellow. 3. A mix- 
ture of anger and contempt, expressed by the word 
"Thou fool," that is, graceless, apostate villain. 
These crimes rise in their malignancy one above 
another. Now, to these three different offences, the 
Law-giver and Judge annexes penalties in just pro- 
portion. 1. The person guilty of causeless anger is 
"in danger of (or liable to) the judgment." But 
"judgment" here is the same as in the verse pre- 
ceding: "Whosoever shall kill shall be in danger 
of the judgment." Now, this "judgment" for 
murder was unto death, and executed by the court 
of twenty-three — a court established in every city 
of the Jews. Now, saith our Lord, " I say unto 
you, That whosoever is even angry with his brother 
without a cause, shall be obnoxious to this judg- 
ment" — the penalty of death. 2. The man who is 
guilty of contemptuous language, shall be in dan- 
ger of *co ffw^.p*M (to sunedrio) the council," the San- 
hedrim, "consisting of seventy or seventy- two men 
of the elders of the people and of the priests" — 
the supreme "council" of the Jewish nation. It 
was the province of this great senate of Israel, 
their highest court, to judge in the most important 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 



83 



affairs, and in all matters of a religious nature; 
and, for great offences, to inflict the heaviest pen- 
alties. While the former court (of twenty-three) 
punished by strangling or beheading; this, (com- 
posed of seventy.) inflicted death by stoning or 
burning, and sometimes, " by pouring melted lead 
down the throat of the criminal, after he "was half 
strangled." Now, saith our Lord, the person who 
has committed the second offence, shall be ob- 
noxious to death in this dreadful form. 3. But he 
who is guilty of saying, Thou graceless wretch, 
shall be liabletoagehennaof fire. It has been sup- 
posed that sometimes persons of very profligate 
character, who had abandoned themselves to the 
most aggravated forms of wickedness, were burned 
alive in the valley of Hinnom ; and that it is to 
such a penalty our Lord has allusion in this place. 
Such are the crimes specified, then, and such the 
fearful penalties annexed. 

But now it must be very evident from the nature 
of the penalties annexed to the crimes above spe- 
cified, that our Great Teacher could not be un- 
derstood in the literal sense. Under the Jewish 
economy, death was not inflicted in these terrible 
forms for the crimes just mentioned. And certain 
it is that under the Christian dispensation, there 
are no punishments that correspond with those de- 
nounced in the text ; and especially not, as con- 
nected with the same offences. It follows, then, 
as the penalties are not inflicted either under the 
Jewish or Christian economy, that they are not 
inflicted in this life at all. But, though not in the 



84 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

present life, the penalties now denounced shall yet 
be executed in some period of man's existence. 
Therefore it follows, by a kind of necessity, that, 
as they are not inflicted in the present life, they 
certainly will be inflicted in the life to come. The 
sense of the whole passage, then, seems to be, 
"That as different degrees of punishment are, in 
this life, inflicted upon men for different offences ; 
so shall it be in the future life." 

But, as further corroborative of the position, that 
the punishment of "hell-fire" especially must be 
understood in the sense of future torments, let it 
be remarked, that the council of the Sanhedrim 
itself executed the highest and most fearful penalty 
on earth that could well be imagined. This was 
done after the following manner: "They set the 
malefactor in a filthy place, and put a towel about 
his neck, and one pulled one way, and another the 
opposite, till, by thus strangling him, they forced 
him to open his mouth. Then they poured boiling- 
lead into his mouth, which, going into his stomach, 
burned and consumed his bowels." Such was the 
penalty of death by burning in the valley of Hin- 
nom, the severest and most dreadful that could be 
inflicted on man in this world — a penalty executed 
by the council : and as our Lord mentions one still 
more dreadful, it follows that this must be beyond 
the grave. 

Again : In expressing the last-mentioned penalty, 
the preposition &$, (eis) into, is added, and the case 
is changed from the dative to the accusative, 
thereby adding great intensity to the sentence, 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 85 

thus ; " Whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, 
shall be in danger of the council ; but whosoever 
shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger " of a penal- 
ty, or " obnoxious, ^ (eis, into, or) even to hell- fire." 

Finally : I would remark, that our Divine Teach- 
er, even in wording the penalty, confirms the same 
position: He does not mention gehenna ("hell") 
alone, now long the place of cruelty and the stand- 
ing symbol of future torment ; nor yet " fire " 
abstractly, which symbolizes the most sensible 
pain and distress : either of w r hich w T ould naturally 
have conveyed to the mind of a Jew the idea of 
future punishment : but He combines the two. 
And, even in thus combining, He does not say, the 
fire of gehenna ; a phraseology which might have 
designated its character and location — a material 
fire kindled near Jerusalem : but He says, gehenna 
of fire ; so that the gehenna of which he speaks 
is composed of fire. Add to this, also, to finish 
the intensireness of thought by direct and pointed 
specification, He even reduplicates the Greek arti- 
cle o, (ho) the, thus; ?r t v yssvpav tov 7tvpQ$, literally, 
" The gehenna (or hell) of the fire : " — the dreadful 
punishment of the Divine indignation. Such ap- 
pears to be the sense. Now, considering all the 
circumstances, the language here used certainly 
must be understood in the sense of future torments. 

Matt, v: 29, 30. "And if thy right eye (or right 
hand) offend thee, pluck it out, (or cut it off,) and 
cast it from thee : for it is profitable for thee that 
one of thy members should perish, and not that thy 
whole body should be cast into (yesviuv) hell." By 



86 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

the " right member," in this passage is meant some 
darling lust or vicious, inordinate desire — some 
dominant ruling idol of the heart — in connection 
with the means, power, or opportunity of gratifica- 
tion ; as appears evident from the preceding verse. 
"Kruin observes that the Hebrews were accus- 
tomed to compare lusts and evil passions with 
members of the body ; for example, an evil eye 
denoted envy." And then, as diseased members 
should be amputated to prevent the fatal spread of 
any disorder; so should evil and vicious passions 
be subdued and eradicated : or, in the language of 
the apostle, " Crucify the flesh, with the affections 
and lusts:" (Gal. v: 24 :) as elsewhere also ex- 
pressed, " Mortify your members which are upon 
the earth."- (Col. iii : 5.) The sense therefore is; 
" Deny thyself what is even the most desirable 
and alluring, and seems the most necessary, when 
the sacrifice is demanded by the good of thy soul." 
In this passage, then, as in the former, the Great 
Expounder of the law gives instruction and direc- 
tion for all coming time. Not in reference to that 
generation only was the language true : it applies 
alike to the people of every age and nation : That 
the man who mortifies not his members, in the 
moral and spiritual sense, "shall be cast into ge- 
henna." But this precludes the possibility of the 
words being applied, either to the valley of Hin- 
nom, literally, or, to the destruction of Jerusalem. 

Matt, x : 28 ; Luke xii : 5. In the passages now 
referred to, and standing at the head of this Argu- 
ment, the " soul," already shown and proved to 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 87 

mean the immortal spirit, is represented as being 
"cast into (ysiwav ) hell, even after the death of the 
body." As if our Lord had said, " Fear not them, 
whether Jews or Gentiles, who, notwithstanding 
their utmost rage, can kill the body only, shortly 
before it would otherwise expire ; but make Him 
rather the object of your fear and dread who has 
power to destroy not the body only, but also, after 
its destruction, to inflict upon the undying soul the 
severest penalty." 

Matt, xviii : 9. " And if thine eye offend thee, 
pluck it out, and cast it from thee : it is better for 
thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than 
having two eyes to be cast ( ft? r^u yi^mv tov nvpos) 
into hell-fire : " — literally, into the gehenna of the 
fire. As to the nature of the injunction here given, 
see the remarks above, on Matt, v : 29, 30 ; where 
it was clearly shown, that the "right member" is 
some evil passion. The only difference is, that there 
the disciple is especially guarded against his darling, 
besetting sin, (the right member,) but here against 
every sin or evil passion, (any member.) The moral 
precept, here, as there, being substantially the same, 
applies alike to every age and nation. And the pen- 
alty for transgressing is the same as that denounced 
in Matt, v: 22; on which, see the remarks above. 
The } hraseology employed in wording the penalty, 
is, in both cases, just the same. But it was there 
shown, that the language cannot be accommodated 
to any punishment inflicted in the present life. 
Consequently, the penalty denounced in this pas- 
sage, will also be executed in the life to come. 



88 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

Matt, xxiii : 15. "Woe unto you, scribes and 
Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye compass sea and land 
to make one proselyte ; and when he is made, ye 
make him two-fold more the child (ystwr^) of hell 
than yourselves." " viov ystwr^, (huion geenes) child 
of hell." This is a hebraism, and signifies worthy 
of hell. "A child of death," in the language of 
the Jews, is one worthy of death, and doomed to 
die. The language was used with reference to 
none but the most wicked and abandoned. Our 
Lord, accordingly, employs the phrase to denote a 
notoriously wicked person, and one justly sen- 
tenced to future woe. " Two-fold more the child of 
hell than yourselves:" — Doubly worthy of perdition. 
Such, generally, were the Jewish proselytes, uniting 
in themselves the superstitions of Jews and Pa- 
gans — doubly superstitious: and, withal, "they 
were abundantly more blasphemous against Christ 
than the Jews themselves." Now, evidently, our 
Lord did not mean to teach that these sons and 
heirs of perdition were doomed to be burned alive 
in the valley of Hinnom ; nor yet that they would 
experience severer vengeance than the Jews them- 
selves in the calamities and destruction of the 
latter : either of which were absurd. But, as they 
were more superstitious, and especially as they 
were more bitter and blasphemous against Christ 
and His holy religion than the Jews, it is reasonable 
to suppose that the Judge Himself would denounce 
against them a heavier doom in the coming world. 

Matt, xxiii : 33. " Ye serpents, ye generation of 
vipers, how can you escape the damnation (?rs 



ARGUMENT THIRD. Oy 

ysswrjs) of (the) hell?" This language is strong, 
and fully expresses the torments of the wicked in 
the future world ; illustrated, probably, by the fear- 
ful "judgment" or doom of being burned alive in 
the valley of Hinnom. 

Mark ix : 43, 45, 47. In the passage now re- 
ferred to, and standing at the head of the present 
Argument, the spirit of the precept is the same with 
that enjoined in Matt, v : 29, 30, and xviii : 9, as 
already illustrated. In the former passage, the 
"right eye" and "right hand" are mentioned as 
darling lusts : in the latter, the " eye" simply, to de- 
note any evil passion ; and in the present passage, 
the " hand," " foot," and " eye," to denote whatever 
offends, or leads to sin. It follows, then, that the 
injunction in this place, respects equally all nations 
and ages ; and, consequently, that the penalty an- 
nexed to its violation ought not to be confined to 
the valley of Hinnom, nor to the destruction of 
Jerusalem. 

James iii : 6. "The tongue — is set on fire ( V 7to 
*f$ ysswTjs, hupo tes geennes,) of (the) hell." This 
is the last passage in which the word is found in 
the New Testament, and the only example of its 
being used in the Epistles : the mind, therefore, be- 
comes curious to know its proper sense and appli- 
cation. The apostle saith, "The tongue is a fire : " 
That is, as fire inflames and consumes fuel, and 
even houses, palaces, and cities ; so, the tongue, as 
the instrument of all moral evil, inflames the human 
passions, excites contentions, and extends its rage 
even to the destruction of families and common- 



90 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

wealths. " The tongue is" — thus — " a world of 
iniquity," producing immense mischief. " So is the 
tongue among our members, that it defileth the 
whole body, and setteth on fire the course of na- 
ture : " While, in its licentious and wanton indul- 
gences, it vitiates and degrades the whole man ; " it 
is that which sets on fire, and destroys the whole 
course of life, from boyhood to old age." But 
whence the origin of so much evil in the tongue ? 
The apostle answers, " It is set on fire of hell." 
The preposition "ka, of," when governing the 
genitive, as here, conveys the idea of agency, either 
efficient or instrumental; with a reference, per- 
haps, to the original source of that agency. Mack- 
night renders, " Set on fire from hell." But while 
it is evident that the apostle did not mean the ma- 
terial fire of the valley of Hinnom ; it is equally 
clear that he could not intend the destruction of 
Jerusalem, or the calamities of the Jewish nation : 
and, still more, it seems too plain for argument, 
that we are not to understand any kind of punish- 
ment in this world ; because, temporal miseries, so 
far from being the cause of this raging fire, the li- 
centious tongue, the apostle has just represented as 
the natural effects. For the same reason it follows, 
that punishment, abstractly, cannot be the sense of 
the apostle at all. By " gehenna," then, in this 
place, he must intend a place of wickedness and 
cunning, as well of one of misery : this is obvious 
from the fact, that it inflames the tongue to the ut- 
terance of all kinds of evil. The word gehenna, 
then, in this passage, combines the ideas of active 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 91 

wickedness and cunning with that of excessive 
misery. And these are among the most prominent 
and striking attributes of that dreadful region des- 
ignated by our own word hell. The meaning of 
the apostle therefore, is, " That the tongue is in- 
flamed from hell, by the agency of the spirit of 
darkness, and through the medium of the passions, 
to utter all kinds of evil." 

We have now examined every passage (in all, 
twelve,) in which "gehenna" occurs in the New 
Testament ; and the impartial search has conducted 
us to the following conclusions : That it never 
means literally the valley of Hinnom : That in no 
case does it necessarily denote the misery of the Jew- 
ish nation : That it generally — if not universally — 
conveys the idea of very great torment : That it 
expresses, especially in one example, the additional 
sense of excessive wickedness:— (Jas. iii : 6.) And 
that, in many cases, it signifies torments inflicted 
after the present life. (Matt, v : 22, 29, 30 ; x : 28 ; 
xviii : 9; xxiii : 15. Mark ix : 43, 45, 47. Luke 
xii : 5.) Such is the general meaning of the word 
under consideration. We are fully authorized, 
therefore, in finally deducing the following conclu- 
sion : That the word gehenna, as used by Christ and 
His apostles in the New Testament, symbolizes the 
torments of the wicked beyond the grave. 

2d. The same proposition is proved by the fact, 
that the punishment of the soul in gehenna, or hell, 
is inflicted after the dissolution of the body. This ar- 
gument, in the previous part of this investigation., 



92 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

has been somewhat anticipated; but we now pre- 
sent it more fully, and in due form. The position 
now taken is abundantly obvious from the testi- 
monies of two evangelists. 

The words of Matthew are, " Fear not them which 
kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul ; but 
rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul 
and body in hell." As our Lord here mentions the 
killing of the body while as yet the soul is not 
killed, it follows that the destruction of the soul, 
as here meant, must be subsequent to that of the 
body. And as, immediately after, He mentions 
the destruction of both soul and body, it plainly 
follows, that after the physical dissolution, the mis- 
ery is inflicted on the soul. 

But Luke is still more explicit : " Be not afraid 
of them that kill the body, and after that, have no 
more that they can do; But — Fear him which, 
after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell." 
The preposition ^ra, (meta,) after, in the phrase 
" after that," does, indeed, signify with, together 
with, and the like, when governing the genitive ; but 
when it governs the accusative, as here, it uniformly 
means after, as rendered in the text. Let two ex- 
amples suffice : " And after ( ( u*e or ^ra) six days." — 
Matt, xvii : 1. " What I do," saith the Lord, « thou 
knowest not now ; but thou shalt know ^ ? a tmvra, 
(meta tauta,) hereafter ; " (John xiii : 7 ;) the very 
same as rendered " after that," in Luke. Now? 
m this declaration it is plainly stated, first, that 
after men have killed the body, they have no fur- 
ther power: that is, they have no control over the 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 93 

destiny of the immortal spirit. This well accords 
with the nature of things. But also, it is farther 
declared, that after the Dreadful One hath destroyed 
the body, His also is the fearful prerogative to cast 
the immortal spirit into gehenna. Such is the lit- 
eral and natural import of the language. If any- 
thing can be proved by fair inference from explicit 
testimony, then the proposition is fairly proved; 
that the punishment of the soul in gehenna takes 
place after the destruction of the body. 

3d. Another argument in proof of the proposi- 
tion before us, is, that the Jews themselves, during 
our Lord's ministry upon the earth, used the term 
gehenna to express the future torment of the wicked. 
This position is an important one ; and as it is de- 
nied by those who believe in the final salvation of all 
men, it is necessary to be somewhat lengthy in its 
examination. In proof of the position taken, we 
present the following reasons : 

1. It became common for the oriental nations in 
general to use the term in question to signify future 
punishment. " The word gehenna, is used in this 
way, namely, for the place of punishment beyond 
the grave, very frequently in oriental writers as far 
as India." — Encycl. Rel. Knowl. " The combined 
ideas of wickedness, pollution, and punishment, 
compose that character which might well justify 
the Syriac language in deriving its name of hell 
from this valley of the sons of Hinnom." — Ibid. 
" The gehenna of the New Testament, is rend- 
ered hell in the English version ; and w T ith the 



94 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

Mohammedans it is the name of one of the circles 
of the fiery pit." — Encycl. Amer. 

Now, if other nations understood the word to 
express the notion of future misery, and foreign 
writers so used it, much more is it reasonable to 
suppose that it would convey this idea to the mind 
of a Jew. Indeed, as the word is altogether of 
Jewish origin, and the thing itself, the valley of 
Hinnom, became peculiarly abominable to the 
Jews, one should naturally suppose that they would 
first make the application to future woe, and then, 
that other nations would follow their example. 
Thus ; we attach to the Greek word hades (&&?<} 
the sense of invisible world; and to tartaros, 
(taptapoi) that of future torment; just because we 
find such significations given to these words by the 
Greeks themselves. And our own word hell, im- 
ports a state of misery in the future world, not be- 
cause other nations have first given it this sense; 
but they so understand the word, simply because 
we ourselves have first made such an application. 
It follows, then, that the Jews must have first ap- 
plied the word in question to future torment, and 
that other nations received it from them with this 
import. 

2. That the Jews attached such a sense to ge- 
henna is further evident from the fact, that, while 
they firmly believed in the future punishment of the 
wicked, they had no word so emphatically expres- 
sive of that belief as the one now under considera- 
tion. They could represent their views on this 
subject by words signifying pain, anguish, death, 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 95 

and the like ; even as they did express their senti- 
ments in reference to future bliss by such terms as 
denote life, pleasure, and others of like import. 
But then, as, in reference to heaven, they made use 
of metaphorical language, calling it Zion, Jeru- 
salem, a city, a palace, a temple ; so also, it was 
but in accordance with Jewish usage — and it does 
but answer our expectation — for them to use some 
striking metaphor to express their belief in future 
misery. And, for this purpose, none could be more 
appropriate than the one before us: — Indeed, 
more ; no other one could represent their views so 
completely. Did the Jews believe the place assign- 
ed for the wicked in the future world, to be one of 
pollution and defilement? Such, emphatically, was 
the valley of Hinnom — the common receptacle of all 
the filth and ordure of their capital city. Did they 
associate with this dark region the ideas of horrid 
cruelty and oppression? In the valley of Tophet 
the ancient idolaters — ah! with most relentless 
heart — had sacrificed their helpless infants, deaf 
to the cries of distress and the calls of innocence. 
Was it the faith of the Jews that the torments of 
the wicked in the world to come, will be great and 
intense ? The fire kept burning in gehenna, afforded 
the liveliest representation of that sensible misery. 
Did they believe that the wicked will be cast out 
into utter darkness, and hurled down to ruin ? The 
notorious malefactor was cut off from the common- 
wealth of Israel, and, anathematized to no ordinary 
death, was burned alive in the valley of Hinnom. 
Were the Jew r s accustomed to combine, in their 



VO DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

notion of the final destiny of the wicked, the dread- 
ful and shocking attributes of total wickedness, 
extreme torment, merciless cruelty, divine indigna- 
tion, just recompense, and hopeless ruin and de- 
gradation ? Gehenna itself, — and gehenna alone, — - 
could exactly answer to such a picture. The val- 
ley of Hinnom afforded the general outline and 
the complete representation of the Hebrew faith in 
reference to the final doom of the wicked. How 
natural to conclude that they would employ this 
word (gehenna) as the symbol of future torment. 

3. It is universally admitted, that, though not in 
our Saviour's day, yet shortly after, at least before 
the lapse of many centuries, the Jews actually did 
use the word in question to express their belief in 
future torments. It is also very certain, as admit- 
ted by all, that it was used with this acceptation by 
the early ministers of the christian church. But 
the Jew r s possessing as they did, antipathies to the 
christians so strong and lively, it is not to be sup- 
posed that they would show so much politeness to 
the objects of their most bitter and determined ha- 
tred as to receive from them a new, and, before, 
unheard of, signification for their own word ge- 
henna. Such a thing is utterly inadmissible. Bet- 
ter, far, to admit at once, that the christian received 
this meaning when he received the word from the 
Jew ; than attempt to maintain that, having first 
received the word, he then added another significa- 
tion, and that now the bigoted son of Abraham 
accepted this new sense from the unlettered disciple 
of Christ. We seem, then, plainly, reduced to the 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 97 

necessity of admitting, that the Jews, daring our 
Lord's ministry on the earth, must have used the 
word in question as the symbol of future misery. 

4. The evidence in favor of the position we have 
taken, becomes still stronger, when we consider the 
application made of the word in the Apochryphal 
writings. 

It occurs in 2 Esdras ii: 29. — " My hands shall 
cover thee, so that thy children shall not see hell, 
(gehenna," LXX.) That the word under consider- 
ation denotes, in this passage, the place of future 
misery, will be evident to every one w r ho may care- 
fully examine the whole context. Esdras is com- 
manded to speak good and comfortable words to 
the people of God. — ver. 10. But he consoles the 
chosen nation, by giving them clear and full discov- 
eries of the blessedness of the heavenly world. He 
presents to their view " the everlasting tabernacles," 
(ver. 11,) the same, no doubt, with " the everlasting 
habitations," and the " house not made with hands," 
mentioned in the New Testament. He exhibits, in 
the gracious promise, " the tree of life," and " twelve 
trees laden with divers fruits," (vers. 12, 18,) to rep- 
resent Christ with the richness and variety of his 
blessings — "the tree of life in the midst of the 
Paradise of God." " The twelve fountains flowing 
with milk and honey, and the seven mighty moun- 
tains blooming with roses and lilies," (ver. 19,) 
presents a fine specimen of the oriental style of 
painting, and thus exhibits the complete beatitude 
of the redeemed in the resurrection, at the same 
time that it happily corresponds with " the living 



98 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

fountains of water" to which the Lamb shall lead 
his ransomed, and " the mount Zion " crowned with 
perennial bloom — the beauty that fadeth not. With 
the proper observance of commanded duties is con- 
nected the promise of "the first place in the res- 
urrection." — ver. 23. This demonstrates that he 
speaks with reference to the final consumation : 
and the thought conveyed by the phrase " the first 
place," is truly eA^angelical, and teaches that " as 
one star differeth from another star in glory; so 
also shall be the resurrection of the dead." There- 
fore he exhorts not to be weary, for that in the day 
of final retribution, while others weep, they shall 
have great joy, and be placed beyond the reach of 
evil : ver. 28, — " My hands," on that great, decisive 
day, " shall cover thee," protecting thee as with a 
shield from all evil, and crowning thee with honor 
and glory ; " so that thy children," also participating 
with thee in the like immunities and privileges, 
" shall not see hell;" or, as the German, the infernal 
fire: — that is, shall not experience or suffer the 
torments of the wicked in the world to come. 
Again, he immediately adds, that the children of 
Zion " which sleep in the sides of the earth," shall 
be raised from death and the grave. — ver. 31 . Thus, 
from the whole connection of the passage, it is plain 
and obvious that " gehenna " as here used, must be 
understood in the sense of future torment. 

In the two following passages the word gehenna 
does not occur : but an allusion to the valley of Hin- 
nom is sufficiently obvious from the mention of its 
two most prominent and terrible characteristics, — 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 99 

the devouring fire and the gnawing worm. Thus, 
Eccles. vii : 17. "The vengeance of the ungodly 
is fire and worms." — It will not be contended that 
this denotes, literally, punishment in the valley of 
Hinnom : Nor can it mean the destruction of Jeru- 
salem ; because " the vengeance" denounced is not 
leveled against the Jews in particular, but falls alike 
upon "the ungodly" in general. The remaining 
passage runs thus, (Judith xvi: 17,) "Woe to the 
nations that rise up against my kindred ! the Lord 
almighty will take vengeance of them in the day 
of judgment, in putting fire and worms in their 
flesh ; and they shall feel them, and weep for ever." 
The " vengeance " threatened in this place, was not 
inflicted in the valley of Hinnom ; neither was it 
accomplished in the dreadful miseries of the Jewish 
people; because it was to fall upon "the nations 
that had risen up against them." Nor yet is it to 
be inflicted at all this side of the grave : — it wall 
be executed "in the day of judgment," — which the 
Jews understood to be in the end of the world. And 
finally, the punishment here spoken of will be eter- 
nal : — inflicted on " the day of judgment," the suf- 
ferers " shall feel it, and weep for ever." 

Thus, briefly, we have examined the general 
usage of the w r ord in question, and other terms of 
like import, as found in the Apocryphal Books ; 
and the candid investigation has conducted us to 
the following conclusions : That in no instance 
does the word, (or its equivalent phraseology, fire 
and worms,) apply to torments inflicted in the val- 
ley of Hinnom : That in every instance it has a 



100 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

tropical sense : That it is not once applied to the 
miseries of the Jews exclusively — the application 
is made to the wicked in general : That in no case 
is it confined to punishment inflicted in the present 
life : That in two examples it is applied not only 
to torments after death, but even beyond the resur- 
rection and the final judgment: And this last is, 
without doubt, its most general and obvious sense. 

Now, the Apocryphal writings are of service in 
expressing the sentiments of the Jews from the 
close of the prophetic vision down to the Incarna- 
tion : and as the Jews, during that period, believed 
in the future torments of the wicked, and expressed 
that belief by the word in question, gehenna; it 
follows certainly that the Jewish usage of the 
word, during our Lord's ministry on the earth, 
must have been such as above given — the word 
must have been used to signify the future (and 
eternal) torments of the wicked. 

5. The proof in support of our position rises to 
a moral demonstration, when we consider the man- 
ner in which the word is used in the Targums, or 
Jewish Chaldee paraphrases on the Old Testament. 
Gehenna seems applied to future torments " by the 
Chaldee Targums on Ruthii: 12; Psal. cxl: 12; 
Isa. xxvi : 15; xxxiii: 14; and by the Jerusalem 
Targum, and that of Jonathan Ben Uziel, on Gen. 
iii : 24; xvi : 17." — Parkhurst. 

But we have been told that these Targums were 
written at too late a period to be evidence in the 
case now under consideration. In answer to this, 
I remark, in the first place, that even if they were 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 101 

not written until several centuries after the com- 
mencement of the Christian era, still they would 
be some evidence in this case ; because the writers 
of these paraphrases collected and set down the 
views of others, from Ezra and after, as carefully 
and diligently as their own. But, in the second 
place, though some of the Targums were written 
long after the Advent of the Messiah, yet it is not 
true, that this is the case with them all. Jonathan, 
the son of Uziel, who "wrote upon the greater and 
lesser prophets," flourished rather before our Sa- 
viour's time. "Though the custom of making 
these sorts of expositions in the Chaldee language 
be very ancient among the Hebrews, yet they have 
no written paraphrases or Targums before the era 
of Onkelos and Jonathan, who lived about the 
time of our Saviour. Jonathan is placed about 
thirty years before Christ, under the reign of Herod 
the Great. Onkelos is somewhat more modern." 
It is plain, then, that the Targums are of sufficiently 
high antiquity to be evidence in the case before us : 
They were in use in the primitive age of Christianity. 

Now, evidently, the Jews of our Saviour's time 
would understand gehenna in the sense in which 
they found it used and applied by their own expos- 
itors of the Sacred Text : And as, in the writings of 
these expositors, the word is applied to the future 
misery of the wicked, the conclusion seems certain 
and irresistible, that such must have been its gene- 
ral usage and application. 

6. Finally; the best and highest critical authori- 
ties when treating the subject as a point in history, 



102 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

have ever given their verdicts on the affirmative 
side of the question. Now, an author of any par- 
ticular sect may not be considered good evidence 
when expressing his views in favor of his own de- 
nominational tenets. But the same author pre- 
senting himself in the character of a critic or a 
historian, describing the customs and narrating the 
opinions of the ancients, without any regard to the 
inferences that may be deduced from such opinions, 
should be regarded as- capable of giving unex- 
ceptionable testimony; so far as his knowledge 
extends. Such is the evidence I now present. I 
submit the following authorities : " As in process 
of time this place (Tophet) came to be considered 
an emblem of hell, or the place of torment reserved 
for the punishment of the wicked in a future state, 
the name Tophet came gradually to be used in this 
sense, and at length to be confined to it. In this 
sense, also, the word gehenna, a synonomous term, 
is always to be understood in the New Testament." 
Encycl. Rel. Knowledge. "From the circumstance 
of this valley having been the scene of those infer- 
nal sacrifices, (offered to Moloch,) the Jews, in our 
Saviour's time, used the word for hell, the place of 
the damned." — A. Clark. " The Jews, from the 
perpetuity of these fires, (kept up in the valley of 
Hinnom,) and to express the utmost detestation of 
the sacrifices which were offered to Moloch in this 
valley, made use of its name to signify hell." — 
Benson. " Hence this place, (gehenna,) so execra- 
ble, came to signify the place of the damned, as the 
most accursed, execrable, and abominable of all 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 103 

places."— Mecle. "The word is often used in the New 
Testament ; and always for the place of final pun- 
ishment." — Scott. I add but another testimony : 
" By an easy metaphor, the Jews, who could im- 
agine no severer punishment than that of fire, 
transferred this name (gehenna) to the infernal 
fire, — to that part of Hades, or the invisible world, 
in which they supposed that demons and the souls 
of wicked men were punished in eternal fire." — 
Home's Introduction. Now, is it probable that the 
most learned and judicious of all Christendom can 
be mistaken on a point of historic verity ? It in- 
volves an absurdity. If such were their united 
statement without assigning any just reason, it 
would be different: but even then, we should al- 
most feel ourselves bound to receive their verdict 
as correct — that, indeed, they had not expressed 
those reasons by which they had been conducted 
to this conclusion. 

The position is now proved to a moral demon- 
stration : That the Jews, in our Saviour's time, 
used the word gehenna to express the future tor- 
ments of the wicked : Proved from the facts ; that 
such was the significance of the word with sur- 
rounding nations : That the Jews themselves had 
no word so emphatically expressive and symbolical 
of future punishment as the one under considera- 
tion : That, indeed, as admitted by all, shortly after 
the commencement of the Christian era, such was 
its received acceptation, by both Jews and Chris- 
tians : That in the Apochryphal writings, such is 
its symbolical import : and.finally, That such is the 



104 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

sense as used in the Targums, or Jewish para- 
phrases : From all these facts — in connection with 
the universal testimony of the learned — it is proved 
and demonstrated — that the Jews, during our Lord's 
ministry on the earth, used the word gehenna to sym- 
bolize the future torments of the wicked. 

But, in communicating His instructions, our Lord 
adapted His language to the understanding of His 
hearers. Otherwise than this, He could not do, as 
the Great Teacher from God, and " The light of the 
world." His language was the language of His 
nation, and His meaning, such as the people could 
not misunderstand. They always felt the force of 
His language, and the point of His argument : His 
word struck deep conviction. 

If, then, the Jews of our Saviour's time under- 
stood by "gehenna" the future torments of the 
wicked, as has been conclusively proved : And if 
our Lord used this very word so as to be readily 
understood, as has also been clearly shown : Then 
the conclusion seems irresistible, that " gehenna " 
is used in the New Testament to symbolize the 
future torment of the wicked. 

But before dismissing the Argument, let us at- 
tend to a few objections. The following are the 
most prominent. (Some of the following, indeed, 
are rather stale and feeble.') 

1. It is maintained that gehenna, the word trans- 
lated hell, cannot possibly signify the place of 
future punishment ; it was simply the name of a 
valley closely adjoining to Jerusalem — the valley 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 105 

of the son of Hinnom — so celebrated in sacred 
history for its abominations and dead carcasses, its 
gnawing worms and consuming fires. The valley 
of Hinnom, a place of punishment in this world, 
cannot, surely, mean a place of punishment in the 
world to come. 

Ans. This objection, indeed, is now becoming 
rather obsolete, — by the learned relinquished as un- 
tenable : still, however, as there are some who wish 
to sustain its correctness, we shall examine its merits. 

The objection urged, if it prove anything, proves 
too much. If because gehenna, originally, was the 
name of a valley near Jerusalem, it cannot there- 
fore denote the torment of the wicked in another 
Avorld ; then, for the same reason, because Jeru- 
salem was the name of a city in the land of Ca- 
naan, it cannot represent the future state and felicity 
of the righteous. But Jerusalem does represent 
the bliss of the righteous in the future w r orld. Ma- 
terial things may be used to represent things spir- 
itual, to aid our feeble conceptions by way of 
resemblance. Let us dwell on the thought for a 
moment. Thus, heaven is called " Jerusalem," for 
its bright visions of peace and felicity ; " Mount 
Zion," for its strength, and majesty, and sure pro- 
tection. Heaven is " the city of the living God," 
" the city of the Great King." It is set forth Ci with 
w r alls great and high," to symbolize its glory and 
safety : " Having twelve gates," to denote freeness 
of access and entrance to all believers : " And 
twelve foundations," to denote its firmness. "The 
streets of the heavenly city are of pure gold," 



106 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

importing, probably, the excellency of its intercourse, 
holy and blessed. Its " sun " goes not down : — Je- 
hovah is its sun for ever. With like propriety, the 
citizens of "the New Jerusalem" are represented 
as " kings and priests " — " princes and rulers " — as 
" having on white robes, and palms in their hands " — 
as "led unto living fountains of water, and having 
all tears wiped away from their eyes" — as "having 
crowns and harps of gold" — as " eating the hidden 
manna in the holy of holies, and plucking the fruits 
of the tree of life in the midst of the Paradise of 
God" — " sitting at the banquet of wine and the mar- 
riage supper of the Lamb " — as " having everlasting 
habitations " and bright mansions in their Father's 
house : — Such are the figures used in the sacred or- 
acles to represent the celestial honors and supreme 
felicity of the people of God in the heavenly world. 
It is in entire accordance, then, with Jewish usage 
and the oriental style, to represent the things of the 
future world by what are known and visible in the 
present. The best and grandest things of earth may 
give a faint representation of the heavenly state : 
while the worst may fitly symbolize the dark world 
of woe. And as gehenna, or the valley of Hin- 
nom, was the very worst with which the Jews were 
acquainted, how w 7 ell it accorded with their manner 
of speaking — and it was conformable to their 
views — to consider it the emblem of future tor- 
ment. Jerusalem is the emblem of heaven ; and 
gehenna, of hell. 

But further : On the same principle of reasoning 
we might attempt to prove that the English word hell 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 107 

does not denote a state of misery beyond the 
grave : because it is derived from the Anglo- 
Saxon helan, (which signifies, to cover, conceal, or 
hide,) and literally conveys the idea of a deep hole, 
cave, or the like. Such is the primary significa- 
tion of the German word nolle, and the English 
term hell. But, in how awkward a posture would 
any critic now appear in attempting to prove from 
the etymology of the word hell, that it signifies 
simply a hole, cave, or any such place of conceal- 
ment ? Yet such, precisely, is the attitude in which 
an expositor must now present himself when labor- 
ing to prove from the etymology of the word ge- 
henna, that it signifies, in the New Testament, a 
valley near Jerusalem, the valley of Hinnom. The 
objection, indeed, proves doubly too much. 

2. As the former objection has been suspected of 
a lurking fallacy, another has been framed, with 
more ingenuity, indeed, though none the less so- 
phistical. The new structure is fabricated out of 
the ruins of the old. It is contended that, although 
gehenna, in the New Testament, may not mean the 
valley of Hinnom; yet it must be confined to this 
world ; and the word is used to express the dread- 
ful doom of the Jewish nation, in consequence of 
their rejection of the Son of God. In proof of 
such an application of the word the following Scrip- 
tural testimony is adduced : " And they have built 
the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley 
of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their 
daughters in the fire ; which, I commanded not, 
neither came it into my heart. Therefore, behold, 



108 DOCTIUNE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more 
be called Tophet, nor, The valley of the son of 
Hinnom, but, The valley of slaughter : for they shall 
bury in Tophet till there be no place. And the car- 
casses of this people shall be meat for the fowls of 
the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth ; and 
none shall fray them away. Then will I cause to 
cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets 
of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of 
gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice 
of the bride; for the land shall be desolate." — Jer. 
vii: 31-34, compared with xix : 5-9. This fearful 
doom of Israel, as here predicted, it is maintained 
is * the damnation of hell," (Matt, xxiii : 33,) the 
judgment of gehenna; that dreadful sentence of 
divine justice, according to which the Jewish people 
in their national existence, were to be totally ruined 
in the destruction of their capital city, and the sub- 
version of their commonwealth : — as totally, as if 
their bodies were cast into the valley of Hinnom, 
and there destroyed by the consuming fire and the 
gnawing worm. 

Ans. The objection is plausible, without being 
conclusive. " The valley of Hinnom," as mention- 
ed by the prophet, and " gehenna," as used in the 
New Testament, are different places. According 
as stated in the objection, the Jews are considered 
the principal, and, as a nation, the exclusive, suf- 
ferers of the penalty threatened : but, according to 
our Lord, both Jew r s and Gentiles are alike subject 
to the torments of " gehenna." Thus, in the pas- 
sage adduced from the prophet, the heavy charge 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 109 

of guilt is preferred against " the children of Judah, 
for having built the high places of Tophet." It 
was " that people, whose carcasses were to be meat 
for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the 
earth." And it was "from Judah and Jerusalem 
that the voice of joy and gladness was to cease." 
" The vengeance written," then, in the prophecy of 
Jeremiah, was denounced against the Jewish nation 
only. Not so, the punishment of "gehenna," as 
menaced in the New Testament. When our Lord 
mentions gehenna, He does it in such a manner as 
to clearly show that the Gentiles, as well as the 
Jews, are exposed to its fearful doom. The Mes- 
siah came to establish new regulations on the 
earth ; and His laws were intended to be of uni- 
versal and perpetual obligation. The Jews at that 
time, it is true, were considered peculiarly obnox- 
ious to some great national calamity ; but yet our 
Lord denounces, "Whosoever shall say, Thou fool, 
shall be in danger of hell-fire" — the gehenna of 
fire. — Matt, v: 22. Now, in this passage, the 
word, "whosoever," must be understood as apply- 
ing to all mankind : because, in the whole context, 
our Lord is giving instruction to regulate the con- 
duct of man for all coming time. Mark the uni- 
versal application of the same word as it occurs in 
this connection : "Whosoever shall break one of 
these least commandments, — shall be called least 
in the kingdom of heaven, " — in my church on 
earth, under the moral reign, and during the Dis- 
pensation, of grace ; " But whosoever shall do 
them — shall be called great." — ver. 19. In this 



110 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

passage, the same word, whosoever, is used with 
the utmost latitude of meaning; as is plain from 
the fact, that the obligation was imposed, not upon 
the Jews only, but upon all nations, to observe the 
New Institutions of the Son of God. See, also, to 
the same effect, vers. 28, 32. Now, continues the 
Legislator, " Ye have heard it said by the ancients, 
(and justly,) Thou shalt not kill ; and whosoever 
shall kill, shall be in danger of the judgment" of 
death : — according to that which is written for the 
sons of Noah, " Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by 
man shall his blood be shed:" — "But," without 
abolishing that regulation, I extend the penalty not 
merely to the overt act, but even to the malicious 
design: — Enmity in the heart is murder in the 
abstract : — Therefore, " I say unto you, That who- 
soever," of all the human family, " is " even 
"angry with his brother"-man "without a cause, 
shall be in danger of the judgment : and whoso- 
ever," of all mankind, "shall say to his brother, 
Raca, shall be in danger of the council ; but who- 
soever," of the same great family, the brotherhood 
of man, " shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger 
of hell-fire." Thus, it appears perfectly evident, 
from the first passage in which the word occurs in 
the New Testament, that the gehenna of fire was 
no more threatened as a punishment to the Jews 
than to any other people; that, in fact, the penalty 
is not denounced against any one nation in partic- 
ular; but that it falls alike upon all of every 
nation who are guilty of the crime specified in 
the passage. Therefore, "gehenna," in the New 



ARGUMENT THIRD. Ill 

Testament, does not signify the wrath of God in the 
destruction of Jerusalem : and is not equivalent 
to " The valley of Hinnom," in the mournful pre- 
diction of Jeremiah. But the answer may be more 
briefly summed up thus : It is not true, " That 
whosoever shall say to his brother, Thou fool, shall 
be in danger of " punishment in the destruction of 
Jerusalem : — But it is true, " That whosoever 
shall thus address his brother " with mingled feel- 
ings of anger and contempt " shall be in danger of 
a gehenna of fire." Therefore, it is demonstrated, 
that " gehenna," in the New Testament, does not 
symbolize the destruction of Jerusalem, or all the 
calamities of the Jewish nation. It would, I con- 
ceive, be a waste of time to multiply examples. 

3. It is maintained that the punishment of "ge- 
henna," in some of the examples adduced from the 
New Testament, must be confined to the present 
life. — Matt, x: 28. Luke xii: 5. Thus, the word 
rendered "kill," signifies torture, and should be 
translated by some word expressive of extreme 
pain and suffering, but not unto death: and then 
the destruction of the soul will denote the total ex- 
tinction of life. According to the position assumed 
in this objection, the sense of the passage is, " Fear 
not them that torture the body, without being able 
to destroy the animal life : But fear him who is 
able both to torture the body, and destroy the life ; 
yea, I say unto you, Fear the Roman power." ( ! ) 

Ans. But I remark that the word rendered "kill," 
is always, I believe, used in the sense of taking 
life. This, indeed, might readily be inferred from 



112 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

the etymology of the word in question : — A*d*tf*t$^ 
(apokteino,) the word used, is compounded of arto, 
(apo) implying intensiveness in this place, and 
xtewu, (kteino,) to kill : the compound, therefore, 
(anoxtsiu^,) signifies to kill, in the intensive sense ; 
that is, to kill in a very cruel and barbarous man- 
ner. Parkhurst, accordingly, defines the word thus j 
" To kill, murder, butcher. It generally implies 
cruelty and barbarity, truciclare." Now it is not 
very reasonable to suppose that a word which, in- 
tensively, signifies to kill, should here mean some- 
thing less than killing — not to kill at all. 

But, to finally settle the matter, let us glance at 
the general usage of the word before us : Thus 
" The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands 
of men ; And they aTtoxtEvovatv (apoktenousin) shall 
kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again." 
Matt, xvii : 22, 23. Now that in this place it sig- 
nifies properly to kill, and to kill only, — and not 
merely to torture, — is evident from the fact, that it 
describes what actually took place, namely, the 
death of Christ ; and if it does not, then we have 
no evidence that Jesus died: — "And on the third 
day he shall be raised again:" — raised from the 
dead, from death and the grave. But the phrase, 
" shall be raised again," expresses an idea the very 
opposite to the one above, " shall kill." The sense 
is, therefore, clear and obvious. But as it is useless 
to multiply examples in a case so plain, I shall add 
but one more, — for the purpose of making the dis- 
tinction in sense between this and other words : — 
" Behold," saith the Just One, " we go up to 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 113 

Jerusalem ; and the Son of man shall be delivered 
unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes ; and 
they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver 
him to the Gentiles : And they shall mock him, and 
shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him : " thus 
was the Messiah most cruelly maltreated; but, as 
yet, not put to death : Therefore, to finally give a 
clear and distinct expression of what actually took 
place at last, it is added, " And {anoxttvovaiv) they 
shall kill him." — Mark x: 33, 34. Further com- 
ment is superfluous. The sense of the word in 
question is established, both from its etymology, and 
its general usage. It signifies, without exception 
in the New Testament, to kill only. Thus far, the 
objection vanishes. 

As for the injunction, "Fear the Roman pow- 
er;" (!!) it is not found elsewhere in the living 
oracles : yea, rather, while neither Christ nor His 
apostles ever exemplified any such principle, as 
before shown; it is in direct violation of the whole 
moral order of the Bible. Thus the Messiah ; 
" When ye shall be brought before governors and 
kings for my sake ; and the brother shall deliver up 
the brother to death, the father the child, and the 
children their parents : — and when ye shall be 
hated of all men ; Fear them not." — Matt. x. It 
is sufficient. 

Also, as has already been proved, the " soul," 
(4^*37) is the immortal spirit of man. 

The objection, then, falling totally, the sense of 
the passage remains, and appears but the more 
perspicuous ; thus : " Fear not them who may kill 
10 



114 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

the body, without being able to destroy the immor- 
tal spirit : But fear Him who, after the destruction 
of the body, has power to cast the spirit into 
gehenna." 

4. But it is further objected that after all, it is 
not said that He will destroy the soul, after the dis- 
solution of the body ; but, simply, that " He is able 
to do it." — Matt, x: 28. 

Ans. When Jehovah is said to be able to do a 
work, it is equivalent to saying, that He will do it. 
I submit a few examples out of the many that 
might be produced. Abraham was " fully persua- 
ded, that what he (God) had promised, he was able 
also to perform." — Rom. iv : 21. But who ever 
doubted Jehovah's ability? As for Abraham, he 
believed that God would perform. " God is able to 
graiF them (theJews)in again." — Rom. xii : 23. But 
the great Apostle is proving that He will do it : that 
" He will bring them in again with the fullness of 
the Gentiles." " God is able to make him (the weak 
brother) stand." — Rom. xiv: 4. Poor consolation ? 
alas ! if God actually let him fall. " I am persuaded 
that he is able," saith Paul ; yea, rather, that He is 
willing, as able, " to keep that which I have com- 
mitted unto him against that day." — 2 Tim. i: 12. 
" He (Christ) is able to save to the uttermost them 
that come unto God by him : " (Heb. vii : 25 :) as if 
he had said, He will save them: for, "them that 
come unto him, he will in no wise cast out." The 
number of examples might be multiplied indefi- 
nitely: but the above are sufficient. The established 
and uniform meaning of the word Sma^cu, (dunamai, 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 115 

to be powerful,) and its derivative 8wa*os, (dunatos, 
powerful,) generally rendered " able," — as we have 
seen, — is not that of ability only : the words convey 
the additional idea of willingness or purpose. Je- 
hovah is able to perform, is equivalent to saying he 
will perform. The examples above given are abun- 
dantly sufficient to confirm this position. 

I would further remark, that in the parallel pas- 
sage in Luke, (xii: 5,) it is said, " He hath power to 
cast into gehenna." Now the two phrases, tov 
SwafiEvov, (ton dunamenon,) " Him who is able," in 
Matthew, (x : 28,) and tov t%ov<siav s^ovta, (ton exousian 
echonta,)"Himwho hath power," in Luke, (xii: 5,) 
are nearly equivalent in sense ; with this difference, 
however, that what the former expresses by com- 
mon usage, — namely, ability or power associated 
with design to exercise the power, — that, the latter 
signifies naturally and etymologically. Ef-wcua, (ex- 
ousia) Ci power," in the latter passage, (is derived 
from fgtcyrc, existi, to be lawful or allowable, and) 
implies right, authority, or jurisdiction, rather than 
simple ability. The kind of power is indicated. 
It is not that Jehovah possesses ability or might 
abstractly, but — the rightful authority, — such 
power as is according to law and equity, a power 
that accords with those high and holy principles 
which regulate in His own moral empire : Such is 
the power which God has to cast the spirit into 
gehenna. 

The objection, indeed, is more than confuted. 
When its premises are once analyzed, they do but 
add strength to the general Argument. Both from 



116 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

the general meaning of the word rendered " able," 
(Swajxevov,) and from the etymology and signification 
of the one translated "power," (s%ovaiav,) the sense 
of the two passages combined, evidently, is, " That 
with Jehovah is the supreme and dreadful preroga- 
tive, after the dissolution of the body, to hurl the 
immortal spirit into gehenna, in case of final im- 
penitence ; and there to inflict upon it the severest 
torments." 

5. Finally, it is contended that if the destruction 
of the soul must be referred to the future world ; 
still, after all, the doctrine of future punishment is 
not proved, so much as that of annihilation : be- 
cause it is not denounced that the soul shall be 
punished in gehenna, but destroyed. But this des- 
truction, it is maintained, implies the entire loss of 
existence. 

Ans. Let us, then, give a moment's attention to 
this last evasion. Let this be answered, and all 
is answered. 

Luke uses the phrase, zppaksjf &$ t^v fs$mv. 9 (em- 
balein eis ten geennan,) " to cast into gehenna ; " 
which expresses the act of hurling or plunging the 
soul into the world of woe. — xii : 5. Matthew em- 
ploys the expression, a7to%soao w ysswrj, (apolesai en 
geenne,) "to destroy in gehenna;" which implies 
what is done to the doomed spirit after its banish- 
ment, or after it is cast into gehenna. " The soul 
is cast into gehenna;" and there "destroyed." 
The proper import of this latter word in the New 
Testament, now demands a more accurate atten- 
tion. ArtoMouo, (apolluo,) or artoMv/u, (appolumi,) is 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 117 

compounded of a*o, (apo) intensive in this case, 
and omvio (olluo) ovkv^i, (ollumi,) to kill or destroy : 
artorkvu, therefore, signifies to destroy totally. Ap- 
plied physically, it has nearly the same signification 
with artoxttLva, (apokteino,) to kill ; but in its meta- 
phorical application, it is to be understood in the 
sense of misery and anguish, implying always con- 
tinued and sensible existence. 

I present the following examples to show that 
such is the signification of the word when used in 
reference to man as a moral being: "The Son of 
man must be lifted up ; That whosoever believe in 
him a,7io?,?i?(u (apoletai) should not perish, but have 
eternal life." — John iii : 15. Now, as " eternal life," 
in this place, signifies, not simple existence, nor yet 
life itself abstractly considered, but a happy life, in 
the enjoyment of grace and glory; even so, the op- 
posite word (ctTto^tat) expresses not the loss of sim- 
ple existence, nor yet the loss of life abstractly, but 
the loss of a happy life : it expresses, consequently, 
the very opposite of joy and bliss — a state of mis- 
ery and anguish. — See also, ver. 16. Again: "For 
as many as have sinned without law, a7to%owtai 9 
(apolountai,) shall also perish without law." — Rom. 
ii : 12. But that the "perishing" here does not de- 
note the destruction of existence is very obvious ; 
not only because it is contrasted with " glory, honor, 
and immortality,— eternal life ;" (ver. 7 ;) and with 
" glory, honor, and peace ; " (ver. 10 ;) but also, be- 
cause it is made equivalent to " indignation and 
wrath, — Tribulation and anguish." — ver. 8, 9. And 
besides, the " perishing," in the first member of the 



118 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

verse, (12,) is equivalent to being " judged " and 
condemned in the second member, thus : " For as 
many as have sinned without law, shall also perish 
without law ; and as many as have sinned in the 
law, shall be judged," xptSrjaovtav, (krithesontai,) sen- 
tenced or condemned "by the law." The sense 
seems well expressed thus : " As many as have 
sinned without a revelation shall be punished with- 
out incurring the additional penalties which such a 
revelation would have enacted; and as many as 
have sinned under a revelation shall suffer the se- 
verer punishment which that revelation, whatever 
it be, has denounced against their crimes." Once 
more : " For the preaching of the cross is aTtoM.vfisvoif, 
(apollumenois,) to them that perish, foolishness ; 
but unto us which are saved, it is the power of 
God." — 1 Cor. i : 18. In this passage the "perish- 
ing or destruction " is the opposite of " salvation :'' 
and as the " salvation " is not the mere preservation 
of existence, nor even of life itself, but the deliver- 
ance of a conscious living existence from a state 
of evil, and its elevation to the opposite good ; so, 
likewise, the " perishing," as before, is neither the 
loss of existence, nor the loss of life, but the loss 
of all beatitude : it expresses a state the very op- 
posite of all that is good, and holy, and desirable ; 
it is the plunging of the undying spirit into the 
most sensible misery. Such is the natural and 
general — such the fearful — significance, of the word 
in question. In no case does it signify the loss of 
existence. In no case, applied morally and penally, 
does it mean the loss of conscious life. In every 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 119 

case it signifies misery and woe ; and implies con- 
tinued existence. This investigation might be pur- 
sued more at length ; but enough has been said to 
satisfy the inquiring mind, that the destruction of 
the soul will be its punishment. 

Thus, one by one, every objection to the present 
Argument, has fallen prostrate ; and, from the gen- 
eral wreck of false argument, the proposition rises 
with every mark of truth, and becomes but the 
more triumphant, That, in the New Testament, we 
must, by gehenna, understand the place of torment 
for the wicked in the future world. 

Second. Gehenna, as used in the text before us, 
also symbolizes the endless torments of the wicked. 
In support of this proposition we submit the fol- 
lowing arguments. 

1st. Both soul and body are cast into gehenna. 
According to Luke, our Lord says, " Fear Him 
which after He hath killed (the body,) hath power 
to cast into hell," (gehenna.) In this it is not 
stated positively that He will cast either the soul 
or the body, abstractly, into gehenna; but it is evi- 
dently implied that such will be the doom of both. 
After the present life, He will cast the impenitent 
sinner — the whole man — into a state of misery. 
But what is only implied in Luke, is fully expressed 
by Matthew : " Fear Him which is able to destroy 
both soul and body in hell," (gehenna.) Such, then, 
is the certain doom of both. 

Now, had it been the " destruction of the 
body " only, it might have been forced to mean its 



120 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

punishment in the valley of Hinnom, or the dis- 
solution of the body politic in the subversion of 
the Jewish commonwealth. And, had it been the 
" destruction of the soul " only, the sense imposed 
might have been, that the penalty threatened is 
what the soul shall suffer, after the death of the 
body and before its resurrection. But whereas our 
Lord mentions a both soul and body" in connection, 
as receiving this punishment, it follows that we 
must fix its date at some other period. Now, the 
valley of Hinnom, or anything merely temporal, 
cannot be intended; because the soul is mentioned, 
which — being an immaterial immortal spirit, as 
we have seen — cannot be subject to any material 
punishment ; and therefore the punishment must be 
referred to the invisible world. Nor yet can our 
Lord intend the separate state of that world; be- 
cause the body also suffers the penalty inflicted, to 
which, — after its dissolution, reposing in silence, — 
it cannot be subject. As, therefore, the body only 
is subject to material sufferings ; and as the soul 
only is sentenced to misery in the separate state ; 
and as yet it is declared that " both soul and body 
shall be destroyed in gehenna" — which cannot be 
until their future reunion: — it follows, certainly, 
that the punishment here denounced will not be 
inflicted till after the general resurrection. Then, 
the body, being raised from the dead, shall be 
reunited with the soul or spirit ; and " both soul 
and body shall be cast into gehenna, and there 
punished." But it has been before proved — 
demonstrated in the preceding Argument — that 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 121 

punishment inflicted after the resurrection will be 
endless. 

2d. The fire of gehenna is unquenchable. The 
English version reads, " It is better for thee to enter 
into life maimed, (or halt,) than having two hands, 
(or two feet,) to go into (or be cast into) hell, 
(ytswav,) into the fire that never shall be quenched;" 
and this, doubtless, conveys the true sense of the 
original : but the literal rendering of the clause, 
(f t >- ro rtvp to aa^satov, eis to pur to asbeston,) is, " into 
the unquenchable fire." — Mark ix: 43, 45. 

But this language implies eternity. The word 
o(T ( 3tflfroj, (asbestos,) (from a, a, negative, and ofisctos, 
sbestos, quenchable,) strictly signifies, not quench- 
able, " not to be quenched, unquenchable, inextin- 
guishable." The class of words to which the one 
before us, belongs, generally possesses such a force 
of meaning. This position might be illustrated at 
length. Let one example suffice : Axata?.vto$, (aka- 
talutos,) (compounded of a, a, negative or not, and 
xata'kvtos, katalutos, dissolved or dissoluble,) signi- 
fies indissoluble. It is rendered " endless " in the 
English version. — Heb. vii : 16. Similar remarks 
will apply to a<p$apto$, (aphthartos,) autavto^ (amian- 
tos,) and afiapavios, (amarantos,) — words used by the 
apostle to describe the heavenly "inheritance" as, re- 
spectively, "incorruptible, undefiled and unfading." 
1 Pet. i : 4. J\ T ow these words imply eternity • and 
that inheritance is eternal : also, the " life " of Jesus, 
indissoluble, is strictly "endless." Words of this 
description do not directly express, but certainly 
imply, unending duration. But it is to such a class 
11 



122 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

of words that the one before us (aepsatos,) properly 
belongs. If, then, the words rendered, " endless," 
" incorruptible," " undefiled," and " unfading," con- 
vey, impliedly, but none the less certainly, the idea 
of endless duration ; so also, does the one we have 
rendered " unquenchable." 

The same law regulates in fixing the sense of 
English words. Thus, — confining our attention to 
such words only as bear some relation in sense to 
the original term before us; — In the word quenched, 
we state the fact, that the fire is extinguished : in 
the term unquenched, it is signified that the fire is 
not extinguished, without intimating whether it 
may be or not. In the simple word, quenchable, 
it is not intimated that the fire is quenched: — 
we imply that it is not, but that it may be : we 
assert the possibility of its becoming extinguished. 
But in the compound, unquenchable, is denied what 
was expressed by the former word : it signifies that 
the fire cannot be quenched : we hereby express the 
utter impossibility of its ever being extinguished 
until it has done its work. Similar remarks will 
apply to all words of this class, whether in Greek 
or English. 

It has been intimated that the word (aapsotos) may 
signify not unquenchable, but unquenched. But 
this could not be our Lord's meaning : because, 
both, from the passages to which He alludes in the 
Old Testament, (Isa. lxvi : 24; Jer. vii : 20; xvii: 
27,) and also, from the fearful nature of the penalty 
He threatens, symbolized by the ever-living flames 
of the valley of Hinnom ; it is plain that He could 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 123 

not mean simply the fire now unquenched ; but that 
He must have meant that which would long con- 
tinue. Besides, if our Lord meant to say, that they 
who " did not deny themselves," should be " cast into 
the fire which," at the time, u was not quenched," it 
would imply, that the fire might be quenched, and 
yet the transgressor be cast into it ; which is ab- 
surd : because, to cast into the fire that is quenched, 
is not a supposable case. From every view of the 
passage, then, that we can take : From the nat- 
ural force of the word used : From our Lord's evi- 
dent allusions, and the nature of the penalty He 
denounces : And from the necessity of the case ; it 
is plain that here He threatens the wicked with 
" unquenchable fire ;" ( " the fire that never shall be 
quenched.") But, if so; their punishment w r ill be 
endless. 

3d. Our Lord, to express the duration of those 
torments inflicted on the wicked in gehenna, uses 
the present tense, thus : " Where their worm dieth 
not, and the fire is not quenched." — Mark ix: 44, 
46, 48. The " worm" may denote conscience with 
its keen remorse : and the "fire" fitly symbolizes 
the wrath of God flaming out against the wicked. 
Now, as the former " dieth not," and the latter " is 
not quenched," the perpetuity of both is expressed 
in the strongest possible manner. The emphatic 
sense maybe thus given ; Where their worm is not 
to die, and the fire is not to be quenched. Such is 
the force of the original. 

To denote the immutability of things, the present 
tense is generally employed. It may be of service 



124 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

to illustrate this general rule by a few examples. 
The Sadducees, denying the resurrection, and desir- 
ous to confound our Saviour on that subject, related 
to Him the case of a woman who had been mar- 
ried to seven brethren ;■ and then submitted the 
question, " Therefore in the resurrection whose 
wife of them is she ? " In describing the circum- 
stances of the case throughout, they properly use 
the past tense ; " for," indeed, the " seven had her 
to wife : " but for this they substitute the present 
tense when they speak of what they now admit, in 
argument, to be the unchangeable order of hea- 
ven — « Whose wife of them is she in the resurrec- 
tion ? " Our Lord responds, " The children of this 
world marry, and are given in marriage." Here 
He uses the present tense ; because the marriage 
rite is coeval with man: — Marriage is the invari- 
able order of " this world." " But they which shall 
be counted worthy to obtain that world, and the 
resurrection from the dead." In this, He uses the 
future tense; because man is not naturally worthy 
of " that (better) world : " and his actual future 
possession depends on other agencies than his own : 
it is a transaction yet future — yet to take place. 
But our Lord completes the sentence — that such 
as shall thus a be counted worthy" — " neither 
marry, nor are given in marriage." Here again 
the present tense is resumed : because, what the 
Pharisees regarded as the unalterable law of 
heaven, and the Sadducees granted for the sake 
of the argument — namely, the existence of mar- 
riage in heaven — was never introduced into the 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 125 

world of spirits. w Neither can they die any more : " 
in this is expressed the immortality of the sons of 
God. "For they are equal unto the angels; and 
are the children of God, being the children of the 
resurrection : " for such resemblance and such rela- 
tions will endure for ever. — Luke xx: 27-36. 
Examples to the same effect might easily be multi- 
plied to almost any extent : but those above given 
are sufficient. The present tense, then, in the New 
Testament, when not influenced by time and cir- 
cumstances, denotes, as a general rule, the immu- 
table and perpetual order of things. 

The law of language now exemplified, does not 
apply to the Greek only : it regulates equally our 
own vernacular tongue. Thus, we say, Virtue is 
honorable : Vice is degrading : Truth stands firm 
for ever : The vile malefactor is miserable : The 
upright have peace, and their countenance is com- 
posed. Yet, if we refer to particular circumstan- 
ces, or to any particular period, we must vary the 
tense accordingly. Thus, Meekness and righteous- 
ness were persecuted and oppressed, while pride and 
bigotry swayed a lordly scepter : Truth shall achieve 
a final victory; and virtue, award to her followers, 
honor and happiness. Such is an established law of 
the English language, and of language in general. 

The reason why the present tense is generally 
used to denote the immutable, the perpetual, and 
the like, seems to be, that it naturally presents to 
view the attributes or qualities of things. Indeed, 
not unfrequently, the very names of attributes are 
derived from verbs in the present tense. 



126 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

Such being the nature of language, it follows 
also that the present tense expresses the idea of 
perpetuity even more strongly than the future : be- 
cause, if the future be used without indicating the 
nature or quality of the thing, perpetual duration 
is expressed by the force of the tense only ; but if 
the present be used, without reference to time or 
circumstance, and so as to point out an attribute 
or quality, then, unceasing endurance is indicated, 
not by the future tense of the verb, but by the attri- 
bute of the thing enduring. And as the attribute is 
essential to the very existence of the thing, and as 
this attribute itself is generally indicated by the 
present tense, it follows that this is the most forci- 
ble manner of expressing the idea of perpetual 
duration. 

Now, had our Lord said, "Their worm shall not 
die, neither shall the fire be quenched," the lan- 
guage would have been strong ; as the declaration, 
viewed in the light of a prophetic announcement, 
would have covered all futurity. But when He 
saith, " Their worm clieth not, and the fire is not 
quenched," the language is still stronger: because 
now He indicates the very nature of the things of 
which He speaks, namely ; that of the worm, not 
to die, and that of the fire, not to be quenched. 
The language is of precisely the same nature with 
that which is used to express the unchanging order 
and beatitude of the heavenly world: — "They 
neither marry, nor are given in marriage : Neither 
can they die any more : for they are equal unto 
the angels." And as in this language our Lord 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 127 

declares in the strongest possible manner the eternal 
state and bliss of the saints ; so, in like manner, 
when He saith of the wicked, that "their worm 
dieth not, and their fire is not quenched," we are 
bound by the truest principles of philology, to un- 
derstand Him as affirming with the utmost strength 
of language, the eternal duration of their torment : 
That the agony of an awakened conscience, and 
the just indignation of an offended God, shall con- 
tinue for ever. The conclusion seems inevitable. 

The manner in which the Greek article is used 
in the passage last under consideration, tends to 
confirm the reasons already given. The person 
not removing the offending member, " shall be cast," 
saith our Lord, " *(,$ i^v ysswav, (eis ten geennan,) 
into the gehenna." As if he had said, " It is better 
for a man to deny himself and enter heaven, than 
indulge in every sensual gratification, and finally 
"be cast," (not, indeed, into the material valley of 
Hinnom ; where the worm is bred and again dies, 
and the fire, though generally kept burning, yet, 
when the filth is consumed, again becomes extin- 
guished ; but, be cast) " into the gehenna ; (or, 
rather, that gehenna ;) Where their worm dieth not, 
and the fire is not quenched." Such seems the 
natural force of the article in this place. 

The proposition before us is now proved : — 
From the fact, that " both soul and body shall be 
cast into gehenna," which cannot take place, as we 
have seen, till after the physical resurrection ; be- 
yond which all is changeless : From the fact, that 
the " fire of gehenna is," literally, " unquenchable ; " 



128 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

which, as we have also shown, philologically im- 
ports eternal duration : And from the fact, that, to 
express the duration of the consuming fire and the 
gnawing worm, the present tense is used; which, 
employed without reference to time or circumstance, 
denotes immutability, as has also been proved, and 
thus very forcibly, though impliedly, expresses the 
full period of eternity: — From all these facts the 
proposition is proved to a demonstration, That the 
torments of the wicked in gehenna will never end. 

The proposition, however, is assailed with a very 
formidable objection. It is maintained that the 
very language of the text is elsewhere applied to 
things of a temporal nature. Thus, a part of it is 
applied to the nation of Israel : " For their worm 
shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched." 
Isa. lxvi : 24. Also, a portion of the language is 
applied to different other things : " Then will I 
kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall de- 
vour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be 
quenched." — Jer. xvii: 27. Again, the message of 
Jehovah to the forest of the south: "Behold, I will 
kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green 
tree in thee, and every dry tree : the flaming flame 
shall not be quenched. And all flesh shall see that I 
the Lord have kindled it : it shall not be quenched." 
Ezek. xx : 47, 48. (See also, and compare, Isa. 
xxxiv: 9, 10. Jer. vii: 20.) Now it is maintained 
with a very plausible show of argument, that as 
the undying worm actually died in the death of the 
Jewish body politic, and the unquenchable fire was 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 129 

actually quenched in the extinction of the flames 
of Jerusalem, and other places ; so, therefore, as 
the same language is used in the New Testament, 
it should be understood in a similar manner. Such 
is the objection in its full strength. 

Ans. But the inference deduced is not so evident 
as would at first sight appear. Indeed, from the 
same premises, we are necessarily conducted to the 
very opposite conclusion. 

We readily admit that the prediction in Isaiah 
(lxvi: 24,) concerning the "carcasses of the men who 
have transgressed against Jehovah," applies imme- 
diately to the destruction of the Jewish nation. 
And the fearful threatening held true ; " Their worm 
shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched." 
The worm and the fire continued their ravages — to 
gnaw and to burn — until the Jewish body politic 
was utterly consumed. But we may as rationally 
suppose that this languge would be applied to the 
eternal torments of the wicked, as that the felicities 
of the land of Canaan should be used to symbolize 
the beatitudes of the heavenly world. 

But again ; this very language, the primary refer- 
ence of which was to the Israelites, — should, for 
that very reason, be considered more intensively 
expressive of endless punishment. We just re 
marked that the gnawing worm and the consuming 
fire continued their ravages on the body politic of 
the Jewish nation, until it was utterly consumed. 
The worm of keen remorse adhered closely to it, 
and the fire of God's wrath flamed out against it, 
until the period of its utter destruction. Now, 



130 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

suppose the like language should be used in the 
New Testament to describe the torments of the 
wicked in the future world : — but suppose rather 
that this very language of the prophet should be 
borrowed by Christ to give a lively representation 
of the fearful doom of the finally impenitent : In 
such case we would feel ourselves bound by every 
law of philology and sound criticism, as well as 
logical propriety, to interpret the words so as to 
convey the sense of endless misery : Because, in 
the primary application of the words, the worm 
continued to gnaw, and the fire to burn, so long as 
the carcasses remained, even until they were utterly 
consumed. But we have already proved in the 
preceding part of this Argument, that this language 
is applied by Christ to the torments of the wicked 
beyond the grave. Therefore, the carcasses being 
made symbolical of abandoned souls anathema- 
tized, and this language being applied to them, it 
necessarily follows in a logical sequence, that their 
misery will never end : it even follows that the 
worm and the fire will continue to inflict the most 
sensible anguish until the " soul" itself — the death- 
less spirit — dies. But the spirit, the living soul of 
man does not — cannot — die : And therefore, finally, 
it follows, as the last, the only, the inevitable con- 
clusion, that these agents of pain and woe — "the 
fire and the worm" — the keen remorse of con- 
science and the sensible manifestations of Jehovah's 
wrath — must, from the nature of the metaphor 
used, prove the source of endless torments to the 
wicked. If the spirit will never die, its misery will 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 131 

never end. The primary application of the lan- 
guage, then, — "the undying worm and the un- 
quenchable fire," — so far from militating against 
the general Argument, furnishes matter for dis- 
tinct proof in support of the doctrine of endless 
punishment. 

But, in the objection, it is further maintained, 
that in many other scriptural passages, as above 
referred to, it is declared that the u fire shall not be 
quenched ; " while yet the flames have long since 
been extinguished. These may all be classed to- 
gether : — " The fire shall devour the palaces of 
Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched." 

We readily admit that by such language the 
prophets did not mean, primarily,unquenchable fire 
in another world : nor yet did they refer to future 
misery at all. But the language used is intended 
to forcibly express the total destruction of that to 
which it is applied. This must be admitted. " The 
palaces of Jerusalem," in flames, would be reduced 
to ashes, unless the flames were extinguished. The 
same would hold true in reference to all combus- 
tible materials under circumstances favorable to 
such combustion. The language in question, 
then, — "the fire shall not be quenched" — applied 
to Jerusalem, its palaces, towers, and the like, sig- 
nified that the flame would continue to devour 
until those monuments of ancient Judaic grandeur 
were utterly laid waste, and converted into heaps of 
ruin. The same would be its comprehensive and 
fearful significance, applied to the " forest of the 
south," to " every green tree, and every dry tree," 



132 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

to the "fruit of the ground," and to "man and 
beast : " it is of such force as to import an utter 
consumption. Suppose, then, that Jerusalem had 
been of such a nature as to feed the fire for ever 
without being in the least wasted or consumed by 
its flames — a thing physically impossible : — in this 
case, according to the natural force of the language 
used, the fire would never have been quenched : its 
flames would be active and lambent for ever. But 
this very language is applied in the New Testament 
to that which can feed the fire for ever, without 
being in the least wasted or consumed by its 
flames : it is applied to the mighty, the towering, 
the deathless spirit of apostate man : And there- 
fore, in this case, the fire will never be quenched — 
its flames will be active and sensible for ever. 
From the nature of the metaphor used, — in trans- 
ferring the language from the natural to the spir- 
itual world, — we are unable to deduce a different 
conclusion. 

The proposition seems certainly demonstrated, 
That the torments of gehenna will never end : 
Proved, indeed, by positive, direct arguments ; and 
now confirmed by premises furnished in the ob- 
jection. 



ARGUMENT FOURTH. 



THE BLASPHEMY AGAUfST THE HOLY SPIRIT, NEVER TO BE 
FORGIVEN. 

" Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and 
blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men ; but the blasphemy 
against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 

"And whosoever speaketh a Word against the Son of man, 
it shall be forgiven him : but whosoever speaketh against the 
Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this 
world, neither in the world to come." — Matt, xii : 31, 32, (com- 
pared with Mark iii : 28, 29.) 

" And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of 
man, it shall be forgiven him : but. unto him that blasphemeth 
against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven." — Luke 
xii: 10. 

In the scriptural passages now laid down as the 
basis of the following Argument, mention is made of 
the unpardonable sin, — " the blasphemy against the 
Holy Ghost." There is scarcely a point in theology 
which has been more keenly debated than this. It 
is not our object in the present investigation to in- 
troduce or touch on any matter which has no bearing 
on the main question at issue. But in the present 
discussion, the question naturally arises, What is the 
nature of that offence to which the Lawgiver and 
Judge has annexed the fearful penalty of " eternal 
damnation?" 



134 DOCTRLNE OF FUTURE TUNISHMENT. 

Various, and sometimes strange, are the opin- 
ions which have been given in answer to this 
inquiry. But the preceding connection tends very 
much to solve the problem. Our Lord had just 
dispossessed and healed the man who had been 
brought to him blind and dumb — The Pharisees 
had charged Him with casting out evil spirits by 
the agency of the Prince of devils — Our Lord had 
demonstrated the absolute impossibility of such a 
thing — And now, referring to the whole preceding 
context in general, but with a special reference to 
their ungrounded calumny, He utters against them 
this fearful denunciation, " Wherefore, " (Sua tovto, 
dia touto,) — literally, for that reason, — " I say un- 
to you, — the blasphemy" — this evil speaking, this 
bitter reproach — "against the Holy Ghost shall 
not be forgiven unto men." — Matt, xii: 22-31. 
But Mark is still more explicit. Having adverted 
to the circumstances above narrated in Matthew, 
and denounced the penalty of "damnation" as 
connected with "the blasphemy against the Holy 
Ghost," he immediately adds, that this denuncia- 
tion was uttered, " Because they said, He hath an 
unclean spirit:" — that is, This dreadful penalty 
He denounced against them, " Because" they had 
charged Him with casting out devils by the agency 
of the Prince of devils. — Mark iii: 22-30. The 
nature of the crime, then, with which the Pharisees 
are here charged, consisted in the groundless ca- 
lumny of attributing to the agency of the Devil 
those works which our Lord had performed by the 
Holy Spirit. 



ARGUMENT FOURTH. 135 

The general character of the crime being ascer- 
tained and settled, it must be obvious that all things 
considered, this offence was certainly as great as 
any ever committed on the earth. In this the ene- 
mies of Jesus calumniated the most undoubted 
miracles — miracles wrought in confirmation of the 
Divine Messiahship and mission of the Son of 
God — miracles of mercy to the sons of men — mir- 
acles wrought to confirm the most holy and heaven- 
ly doctrines. These miracles they calumniated and 
reviled as coming from the source of all mischief 
and delusion : — This they did deliberately and mali- 
ciously : — They did it frequently, and, reckless of 
consequences : — And, that there might be nothing 
wanting to darken the character of their wicked- 
ness, and render it unpardonable, they did it, with- 
out doubt, contrary to their deep conviction and 
better judgment. Such, in a more particular man- 
ner, is the nature of that bold offence to which our 
Lord has appended the dreadful threatening of 
"eternal damnation." 

Before proceeding, however, more immediately 
to the Argument, we would premise two things. 

1. When our Lord saith "All sin and blasphemy 
shall be forgiven unto men," it is manifest that 
He excepts " the blasphemy against the Holy 
Ghost." Strange ! that any should suppose other- 
wise. It is of the same nature with the prohibi- 
tion to our primitive parents : " Of every tree of the 
garden thou may est freely eat: But of the tree of 
the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat 



136 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

of it." — Gen. ii : 16, 17. The general grant was 
first given, and then the particular exception 
made: — "Of every tree thou mayest freely eat, 
except the tree of the knowledge of good and 
evil." And thus our Lord is to be understood: the 
general offer of a gracious pardon is first extended, 
and then the particular offence is mentioned on 
which is grounded an exception to the general 
rule : " All sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven 
unto men, except the blasphemy against the Holy 
Ghost." 

2. When it is said that the person guilty of this 
offence "shall not be forgiven," it is manifestly 
implied, that so long as he is " not forgiven," he is 
obnoxious to punishment. This is plain from the 
fact, that our Lord mentions "no forgiveness" as 
the penalty denounced for the greatest and most 
daring offence ever committed. But Mark, especi- 
ally, is very explicit. He says of the vile blasphe- 
mer against the Holy Ghost, " He hath never 
forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation." 
Now that which is threatened is an evil to be 
suffered: and "no forgiveness," — implying the 
dreadful disapprobation of the Great God, and the 
sentence of condemnation pronounced by Him- 
self, — is the most fearful evil that an immortal 
spirit can ever be doomed to suffer. So long as 
unforgiven, then, the calumniator of the Spirit 
remains exposed to the most fearful punishment. 

These things premised, — namely, That in the 
offer of pardon for sin, " the blasphemy against the 
Holy Ghost" is excepted; and, That "not to be 



ARGUMENT FOURTH. 137 

forgiven" implies punishment threatened, — we now 
proceed more directly to the Argument. 

In the passages before us, it is plainly taught, 
That the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall 
never be forgiven. In support of this proposition 
we submit the following arguments : 

1st. The future tense as here used to express 
the period daring which the offence is not to be 
forgiven, comprehends all futurity. Matthew says, 
" The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not 
be forgiven unto men." In Luke the declaration 
runs, " Unto him that blasphemeth against the 
Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven." The tense 
is future ; and the language absolute, in both pas- 
sages. There is no condition either expressed or 
implied. The negative of our Lord extends to a 
thousand years as truly as to one day ; and, through 
all eternity, as emphatically, as during the space 
of a thousand years. When not limited by the 
connection, or otherwise, we have no right to limit 
it. Such language expresses the infinite future 
duration of Jehovah : " I am He which was, and is, 
and is to come, or will be :" I existed from eternity 
before the commencement of time ; I am present 
in every period, and superintend all the transac- 
tions of earth : and, when time shall be no more, 
I will continue to exist through eternity to come. 
The tense is limited by no circumstance, and there- 
fore it comprehends all that duration to which it 
refers. When the present tense simply is used 
without reference to any particular period, then it 
12 



138 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

becomes absolute, and implies both the past and 
the future, and thus imports unbounded duration. 
Jehovah only can use such language : He is the 
" I am." But when the past and future tenses 
are used in connection with the present, then the 
periods referred to by the former two, are not im- 
plied by the latter : because, in this case, the 
present is limited — it is bounded — by the past 
and the future. But then, as the present, when 
not circumscribed by the nature of things, must be 
understood in the absolute sense ; so, too, the past 
and the future, used without limitation, express the 
whole of those periods to which they respectively 
refer. Thus, " I am He which was:" this is not 
limited by any particular period or circumstance ; 
and the sense, therefore, is, I existed from eternity. 
Thus, also, " 1 am He which is to come, or, will 
be : " in this, again, is nothing of a circumscribing 
character; and therefore the obvious sense is, I will 
exist through the infinite future. From the re- 
marks now made and the illustrations given, it 
must be obvious to all, that the tense, either past 
or future, if not in any manner limited, naturally 
expresses the whole of that period to which it 
refers : whether that period be a day, a year, a 
century, or all time. If, then, in an absolute man- 
ner, it refer to the past, it comprehends all the 
past; or, if it thus refer to the future, it com- 
prehends all the future. But the future tense is 
thus used — in the absolute sense — in the passage 
before us : The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost 
shall not be forgiven unto men," saith "He who 



ARGUMENT FOURTH. 139 

hath power on earth to forgive sin;" which could 
not be true, if the offence were ever to be forgiven. 
The correctness of this view, in the present case, 
is confirmed by the antithesis used : " All manner 
of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men," 
saith the Messiah : " but the blasphemy against the 
Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men." Or, 
according to Luke, " Whosoever shall speak a word 
against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him : 
but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy 
Ghost, it shall not be forgiven." Now, evidently, 
the future, in one case, should be understood with 
as great a latitude of meaning, as in the other. 
This can scarcely be denied : because, if one of the 
futures be limited, which one ? And, if either, why 
not the other. If, from the nature of the case, one 
of the futures ought to be limited, so ought the 
other, unless special reason can be shown to the 
contrary : or, if one must extend to all futurity, so 
must the other. But wdien our Lord saith, " Who- 
soever shall speak a word against the Son of man, 
it shall be forgiven him," it is manifest that the 
declaration respects all futurity: because, when He 
forgives, He does it for eternity. "Far as the east 
is from the w r est, so far He removes the transgres- 
sion," never again to return. " Their sins and their 
iniquities," saith He, " will I remember no more." 
As, therefore, the first member of the declaration 
is to be taken in the absolute sense, comprehending 
the full period of an immortal existence ; so, also, 
must the second member be received. The sense 
of the passage, then, may be thus expressed : " All 



140 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

sin and transgression shall be forgiven to the sons 
of men, if they believe and repent ; except the 
blasphemy against the Holy Spirit: for this there 
is no repentance, and no forgiveness : And while, 
on the one hand, the sentence of a gracious pardon 
is never to be revoked; on the other, the blasphemy 
against the Spirit is never to be forgiven." 

2d. The proposition is established by the very 
remarkable phraseology used to describe or qual- 
ify future duration. Our Lord says, ''Whoso- 
ever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall 
not be forgiven him, oves sv tovtco no cuuvi ovts bv 
•no pm%w't*i (oute en touto to aioni oute en to mel- 
Jonti,) neither in this world, neither in the world to 
come;" literally, u neither in this world, nor in that 
which is to come." 

The word <wcov, (aion,) according to its etymology 
and earliest usage, is that of duration, absolute and 
eternal. Its grammatical and general import, when 
used with its more general application, we shall 
examine in a subsequent Argument. In the present 
passage the word does not occur in the sense of 
duration, abstractly; but, to signify that which en- 
dures ; as the world that now is, and the world to 
come : that is, the present natural state or order of 
things in the life that now is, and the future spir- 
itual state or order of things in the life to come. 
The phraseology before us, then, must express the 
whole period of man's unending existence through- 
out all futurity. In proof of this proposition — 
that such is the significance of the phraseology 



ARGUMENT FOURTH. 141 

now under consideration — we submit the following 
arguments : 

1 . The phrase tovtu tco o£<a*t* (touto to aioni.) or its 
equivalent, o vw aiu>p, (ho nun aion,) uniformly sig- 
nifies, in the New Testament, the present natural 
world, the present state of man, in distinction from 
the future world of spirits. This position is an 
important one. It is opposed by the advocates of 
universal salvation, who would give to the phrase 
in question the sense of Jewish age or dispensation. 
But to illustrate and confirm the position we have 
taken, let us examine the passages in which the 
phrase occurs. 

Matt, xiii: 22. — "He also that received seed 
among the thorns is he that heareth the word ; and 
the care tov w**fa$ tovtov, (tou aionos toutou,) of this 
world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the 
word, and it becometh unfruitful." In this passage 
the phrase cannot be understood in the sense of 
Jewish age : its import must be, the present na- 
tural world. How, under the reign of the Messiah, 
the anxious "care" of the former dispensation should 
be classed with " the deceitfulness of riches, and 
choke the word," is a problem we are unable to 
solve. — Mark iv : 19. 

Luke xvi : 8. — " The children (tov aicoi/oj t ovtov) of 
this world, are in their generation, wiser than the 
children of light." The sense very obviously is, 
That the people of "this world" — this present 
natural order of things — have more wisdom in 
temporal matters, than the people of God have in 
spiritual matters. 



142 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

Rom. xii : 2. — " And be not conformed (*co cuum 
tovtu) to this world." But the liability of the 
brethren at Rome, was not a conformity to Juda- 
ism, to w T hich they had never been inclined ; but, a 
relapse into Paganism, from which they had been 
converted; and which, of course, was more con- 
genial with their tastes and habits. The language, 
however, administers a kind warning to all chris- 
tians, as they are surrounded with worldly circum- 
stances, not to conform themselves to the vicious 
customs and habits of the present natural world. 

1 Cor. i: 20. — " Where is the wise?" — the accom- 
plished scholar and philosopher of Greece or Rome, 
(or even of Palestine.) " Where is the scribe ? " — 
the most noted for learning in Israel, (or even among 
other nations.) "Where," among either Jews or Gen- 
tiles, " is the disputer (toy aicovo$ rovtov) of this world ? 
Hath not God made foolish the wisdom tov xmji&v 
*ovtov, (tou kosmou toutou,) of this world?" In 
this passage the sense of the phrase is determined. 
The two different words translated " world," must, 
in this place, be understood in the same sense. The 
connection imperiously demands it. The apostle 
inquires, in a very demanding tone, " Where is the 
wise disputer of this world ? " — (atwi/oj, aionos.) He 
himself returns the most pointed and forcible ans- 
wer, by asking another question : " Hath not God 
made foolish the wisdom of this world?" — (xocr/tov, 
kosmou.) The interrogation in both clauses has 
the effect of a very forcible negation ; and the 
sense of the passage is, That God has proved of no 
avail all the wisdom of this world ; and therefore, 



ARGUMENT FOURTH. 143 

the wise, the scribe, and the artful disputer of this 
world, confounded and disappointed, must with- 
draw. It is too plain for farther controversy, that 
the term rendered " world," in each clause, has the 
same sense : otherwise, the apostle's direct appeal 
is without point. But the word xaapos, (kosmos,) 
"world," which occurs in the last clause of the verse, 
is used in the New Testament in various senses, 
pretty generally corresponding with the English 
term world. Thus, it is used to denote the whole 
frame of the material heaven and earth, the earth 
itself, the whole race of mankind, the wicked part 
of the world, and the things of the world; but, in 
the sense of Jewish dispensation, never. In the 
present passage, it is to be understood in the spe- 
cific sense of " this world " as denoting the present 
state of our existence and the present visible sys- 
tem of things. 

Ibid, ii : 6. — " We speak wisdom among them 
that are perfect ; yet not the wisdom (tov au^o* ?ov?qv) 
of this world, nor of the princes {tov aiwos tovtov) of 
this world, that come to nought." The apostle had 
just stated, that while " the Jews require a sign, 
the Greeks seek after wisdom." — i : 22. " The wis- 
dom of this world," then, characterizes the Greeks 
especially : " the princes of this world," however, 
may refer to all persons of authority and influence, 
among both Jews and Gentiles. 

Ibid. ver. 8. — " Which," (namely, the wisdom of 
God,) " none of the princes (tov auoi>o$ tovtov) of this 
w r orld knew ; for had they known it, they would 
not have crucified the Lord of glory." " The 
princes of this world," as above, may denote per- 



144 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

sons of authority in general. Bat that the word 
in question, here, cannot signify the Jewish age, 
nor yet the commonwealth of Israel, but the world 
in general, is obvious ; because the princes of both 
Jews and Gentiles were combined in the crucifixion 
of Christ. 

Ibid, iii : 18, compared with verse 19. — "If any 
man among you seemeth to be wise (ev t& m^m 
tovtiS) in this world, let him become a fool, that he 
may be wise. For the wisdom (tov xoopov tovtov) of 
this world is foolishness with God." But here 
again <uwv (aion) is made synonymous with ko^o*, 
(kosmos,) which latter word, as we have already 
show r n, is never used in the sense of dispensation ; 
but signifies, as rendered, the " world" (generally, 
as a grand material system of order and beauty.) 
Having first dissuaded his brethren from the very 
semblance of " the wisdom of this world " fawm, 
aioni) he assigns the reason, " For the wisdom of 
this world (xoopov, kosmou,) is foolishness with God." 

2 Cor. iv : 4. — " In whom the god (tov tuutw$ tovtov) 
of this world hath blinded the minds of them which 
believe not." But who could affirm that Satan 
reigned over the Jewish dispensation ? Nor yet 
was his dominion more despotic or extensive over 
the Jews than over the Gentiles. But he is "the 
prince of the power of the air, and reigns over all 
the children of disobedience." 

Gal. i: 4. — "Who (Christ) gave himself for our 
sins, that he might deliver us from tuv svsatutos cuwk>$ 
Ttovypov, (tou enestotos aionos ponerou,) this (or the) 
present evil world." Certainly the apostle did not 



ARGUMENT FOURTH. 145 

mean that, through the redemption of Christ, the 
Gallatians had been delivered from the Jewish dis- 
pensation, under which, indeed, they had never 
been. But the sense of the apostle obviously is, 
That He might deliver us from conformity to the 
corrupt manners, and save us from the consequent 
punishment of " the world that lieth in wickedness," 
as marked by sin and misery — " from this world, as 
compared with the future and heavenly one ; where 
sin and sorrow shall be done away." 

Eph. vi : 12. — "For we wrestle not against flesh 
and blood, but — against tov$ xoapoxpatopas ?ov axotovs 
tov cuwi'os tovtov, (tons kosmokratoras tou skotous 
tou aionos toutou,) the rulers of the darkness of 
this world." But the christians at Ephesus did not 
wrestle so much against the Jewish "rulers" and 
religion, as against the seducing charms of Pagan 
worship. Besides, auw, (aion,) in this place again, 
is used in the sense of xoa/xo^ (kosmos.) world. The 
word xoa/jLoxpati»p — (kosmokrator) — is "from xooftos 
(kosmos) the world, and xpato^ (kratos) power; and 
literally signifies a ruler of the world. It is applied 
to emperors, whose dominion is over extensive ter- 
ritories. The word is applied to " Sesanchosis, 
king of Egypt, as emperor of the world." " It is a 
strong term," says Bloomfield, " properly used of 
the emperors of Rome, the kings of Persia, and 
other powerful monarchs." Whether it is here 
applied to spiritual or material agents, is not so 
important in the present Argument. But while, 
without doubt, it is used of fallen and wicked spir- 
its ; it is plain that tovs xo?iioxpa?opa$, (tous kosmo- 
13 



146 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

kratoras) literally, " the rulers of the world," are 
also, in this capacity, the "rulers" or directors of 
its spiritual " darkness," even " the darkness of this 
world," *ov atcovos tovtov, (tou aionos toutou.) Thus, 
the rulers of the world, (xoapov, kosmou,) are the 
rulers of auoi/oj, (aionos.) The sense of the latter 
word, therefore, as well as the import of the former, 
must be that of the present natural world. 

2 Tim. iv : 10. — " For Demas hath forsaken me? 
having loved *ov vw cuwm (tou nun aiona) this (or 
the) present world." Demas through cowardice 
and the love of money, had deserted the great 
apostle Paul, preferring the advantages of " this 
world" to the religion of Christ — " the world" 
which "now" is, compared with the world which 
is to come. 

Tit. ii : 12. — The grace of God hath appeared, 
" Teaching us, that, * * * * we should live soberly, 
righteously, and godly, fa t^ vw wwn,) in this (or 
the) present world." Not, in the present Jewish 
age, which had already passed away : ( ! ) not, 
under the present Jewish dispensation, which was 
now abrogated : ( ! ) but in the present state and 
order of things— "this present world," in distinction 
from the future. 

Eph. ii : 2. — " Wherein in time past ye walked 
xaT'a tov ai^vck ?ov xoc/a.ov -tov-tov* (kata ton aiona tou 
kosmou toutou,) according to the course of this 
world." This is a peculiar use of the word in 
question: the rendering seems correct; aiw, (aion,) 
in the sense of course, and xo<sn.o$, (kosmos,) as 
usual, in that of world. In this passage again, the 



ARGUMENT FOURTH. 147 

two words, from their connection, seem intimately 
related in sense. And from this example, also, we 
may easily trace the primary and specific import 
of each word. Thus, while they both signify the 
present natural world ; tempos, (kosmos,) designates 
the world as a grand, material system of order and 
beauty ; auor, (aion) signifies the world as a system 
or order enduring throughout a complete period • 
the natural import of this latter word being that of 
endless duration, or ever- enduring, as we shall as- 
certain in a subsequent Argument. In the present 
passage, as rendered " course," it denotes the cer- 
tain and invariable order of things in a natural 
succession, and throughout the whole of a given 
period. However, in this case, it expresses such 
an order of things in the moral conduct of mankind 
as is altogether vitiated and depraved. The sense 
of the passage therefore seems to be, " Wherein ye 
walked according to the invariable and ever-con- 
tinuing, though wicked and dangerous, course of 
mankind in the present world." 

We have now examined all the places in which 
the phrase in question occurs in the New Testa- 
ment; and the investigation has conducted us to 
the following conclusions:- — That it is never used 
in the sense of Jewish dispensation: — That it is 
never so used as to be confined in its application 
to the Jewish commonwealth : — That it is not 
once used in the sense of duration abstractly, either 
definite or indefinite: — That it is uniformly used 
in the sense of the present natural world, the pres- 
ent state of man, in distinction from the future 



148 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

world of spirits : — And that, at the same time, it 
frequently combines the ideas of evil, care, incon- 
stancy, fleetness, affliction, and the like ; thus va- 
riously modifying, without destroying or materially 
affecting, the general sense. 

But if the phrase " this world," in the passage 
before us, denotes the present natural state of man's 
existence, as has now been conclusively proved; 
then it follows that the corresponding phrase " the 
world to come," used in connection, must, from the 
very nature of the case, signify the future and spir- 
itual state of man. And as the present and future 
periods of human existence comprehend all futu- 
rity — a period that has no end — Therefore, the 
whole phraseology, " this world and that which is 
to come," very clearly and cogently expresses the 
sense of endless duration. 

I would here remark that the phrase in the pas- 
sage before us, ***# ^%%ovti (cuwyt,) to mellonti (aioni,) 
the world to come," occurs, separately, but once in 
the New Testament: namely, Heb. vi : 5. — "And 
have tasted — the powers ^7,-kovtos mwos (mellontos 
aionos) of the world to come." The sense of the 
passage is doubtful. Some understand it of the 
miraculous powers of the christian dispensation ; 
others, of the weighty and awful realities of the 
future world. "I would understand it," says 
Bloomfield, " of the powerful motives and supports 
arising from the doctrine of a future state." This 
also would seem to me to be rather confirmed 
by the connection. The apostle had just before 



ARGUMENT FOURTH. 149 

mentioned the doctrines of "repentance," "faith," 
u baptisms," " laying on of hands," and then, 
finally, " of resurrection of the dead, and of eter- 
nal judgment." — ver. 1, 2. And now he adverts 
to the case of persons being initiated into these 
doctrines, and receiving the gifts of God; in which 
he mentions " illumination," a " tasting of the 
heavenly gift," a " partaking of the Holy Ghost," 
a " tasting of the good word of God," and finally, 
"the powers of the world to come." — ver. 4, 5. 
The sense of the whole passage would appear to 
be thus connected : " Let us endeavor not, by apos- 
tatizing, to lay again the foundation of our religion, 
consisting (much) in the doctrines of repentance, 
faith, — of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal 
judgment: (ver. 1, 2:) for it is impossible for those 
who so apostatize from this religion, (consisting 
thus in illumination — and the powerful influences 
of a world to come) to be ever again renewed to 
repentance." — ver. 4, 5. Thus, " the powers of a 
world to come," seem especially related in sense, 
and to refer back, to " the resurrection of the dead, 
and eternal judgment." According to this view, 
then, "the world to come," in the present passage, 
involves the doctrine of a future state. As for the 
passage in Heb. ii: 5, " For unto the angels hath 
he not put in subjection the world to come whereof 
we speak;" the phrase, " trp oixov^v^v *rp fnw^ovaav, 
(ten oikoumenen ten mellousan,) "the world to 
come," evidently, from the context, refers to the 
state of things under the dispensation of grace : 
but the word in question, (<uw, aion,) does not 



150 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

occur. Nothing definite or decisive, then, as bear- 
ing on the question before us, can be deduced 
from the phrase, " the world to come," when used 
separately. 

2. But to confirm the proposition, and place it 
beyond all rational doubt, w T e remark that according 
to the uniform usage of the phraseology, "this 
world and that which is to come," in other places 
where it occurs in the New Testament, the sense 
is evidently that of the present and future states 
or periods of man's existence. To illustrate and 
confirm this very important position, let us advert 
to the passages in which the expression is found. 

Mark x: 29, 30. — "Verily I say unto you, There 
is no man that has left house, or brethren, or sis- 
ters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or 
lands for my sake, and the gospels, But he shall 
receive an hundred-fold vw w <?* *<upw tovtu, (nun en 

to kairo touto,) now in this time, ( , with 

persecution ;) and *v tu aaovi *«** fp^o^w, (en to aioni 
to erchomeno,) in the world to come, eternal life." 
In this passage, to express the present state of our 
existence, xaipo$ (kairos) is used instead of cum, 
(aion,) but not so as to affect the sense of the latter 
word, which immediately follows. Now that the 
phrase (rw xoupw torr^) "this time," is used in the 
passage now before us, to signify the present state 
of our existence, especially under the christian dis- 
pensation, is obvious for the following reasons : 
1. The language used in this passage is spoken of 
the actual followers of Jesus Christ. 2. They are 



ARGUMENT FOURTH. 151 

represented as sacrificing all things for His holy 
religion, as the primitive christians actually did. 
3. To place the matter beyond dispute, they, in 
particular, suffered "persecution" for the "sake" 
of Jesus and his " gospel." 4. And finally, even 
"now," they are represented as "receiving an hun- 
dred-fold " in those high felicities which the gospel 
bestows. Now all these reasons will apply better, 
and some of them exclusively, to the times of the 
Messiah. They prove that the period designated 
by " this time," is no other than the present state 
of human existence. But whatever period is in- 
tended by this phrase, " the world to come " must 
signify one that succeeds and corresponds. It fol- 
lows, then, as " this time " does not denote the 
Jewish dispensation, so neither does " the world to 
come," denote the christian : and it follows, with 
equal clearness and evidence, that as the former 
phrase means the present period of our existence 
in this world, so the latter signifies the future period 
of our existence in the world of spirits. See also, 
and compare Luke xviii : 29, 30. 

Luke xx : 34, 35. — The children (*ou awws Tfovtov) 
of this world marry, and are given in marriage : 
But they which shall be counted worthy to obtain 
(tov cuiovos txtivos, tou aionos ekeinos,) that world, and 
the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor 
are given in marriage." But " marriage is honor- 
able" under the dispensation of the gospel, as 
well as under the law: therefore, "that world" in 
distinction from "this" is not the christian dispen- 
sation; and therefore, also, it is — it must be — the 



152 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

future period of our being, in distinction from the 
present — that state in which " marriage" will cease, 
the future and eternal world. 

Ephesians i: 21. — " He (the Father,) raised him 
(Christ,) from the dead, and set him at his own 
right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all 
principality, and power, and might, and dominion, 
and every name that is named, not only sv ?u> <uw^ 
rovtfw, (en to aioni touto,) in this world, but also &> 
t-w pzrkovti (en to mellonti,) in that which is to come." 
The phraseology here is literally the same with that 
which occurs in the passage under discussion at the 
head of this Argument : and it is of importance to 
determine its precise import. But now, that the 
apostle by the expression, " this world and that 
which is to come," means the natural world and 
the spiritual world, is abundantly obvious : 1. Be- 
cause the object of the apostle is to show the ex- 
tent of Christ's dominion, which, indeed, is over 
men and angels. 2. In doing this, he represents 
" Him as seated on the right hand of God," which 
cannot apply to the present state or order of things. 
The body that was raised, ascended visibly to hea- 
ven, and, in the abode of angels, was honored above 
all creatures. 3. The Messiah, thus honored, w^as 
exalted in supreme dominion " far above all prin- 
cipality, and power, and might, and dominion," — 
above all orders of spirits and intelligences, — " and 
every name that is named," of men or angels ; 
which most significant language can, with no man- 
ner of propriety, be applied to the present natural 
world. And lastly, to finally settle the sense 



ARGUMENT FOURTH. 153 

already ascertained, the same lofty apostle else- 
where, in describing this exalted glory and domin- 
ion of our divine Redeemer, after His humiliation 
unto death, places Him above the earth and the 
heavens, and represents Him as the worthy object 
of adoration to the whole universe: "God hath 
highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which 
is above every name ; That at the name of Jesus 
every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and 
things in earth, and things under the earth:" — Phil, 
ii : 9, 10: All intelligent beings whatever, through- 
out the wide creation. Such, and so boundless, is 
the holy empire of Jesus, as taught in the present 
passage. — Eph. i: 20, 21. The sense of the ex- 
pression then, as used by the apostle, is very ob- 
vious : it is that of the natural world and the world 
of spirits. 

Thus, we perceive that in every instance in which 
the phraseology, " this world and that which is to 
come," occurs in the New r Testament, it is to be 
understood in the sense of the two states of man- 
kind, the present and the future; the two periods 
of our existence, the temporal and the eternal ; or, 
the two worlds, the natural and the spiritual ; but, 
in the sense of the tw r o dispensations, the Mosaic 
and Christian, never. 

Such, then, according to the truest canons of 
criticism, must be the meaning of the language as 
used in the passage which is made the basis of this 
Argument. The phraseology must here express 
the utmost period of man's existence, both in the 
life that now is and the life to come. 



154 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

3. To farther confirm the position already es- 
tablished, I would add, that the Jews themselves, to 
whom our Lord addressed this language, would 
generalty understand it according to the sense now 
given. Thus, Dr. A. Clarke, after Lightfoot, con- 
cerning the Jews. 

"In the world to come. — Some phrases were 
received into common use, by which, in common 
speech they opposed the heresy of the Sadducees, 
who denied immortality. Of that sort were son 
D^US olam haba, Auov o ^tuwv, The world to come. 
"py V £ an a den, iLxpaSstaos, Paradise : uqq u gei hin- 
nom, rtsva, Hell. 

" The Lord recompense thee a good reward for 
this thy good work in this world, and let thy reward 
be perfected in the world to come. — Targum on 
Ruth. 

"It (that is, the Book of Genesis,) therefore 
begins with the letter 3 beth, (the second letter in 
the Hebrew alphabet,) because two worlds were 
created, this world and a world to come. 

" This distinction of ( ) this world, and 

( ) the world to come, you may find almost 

in every page of the rabbins." 

Such, it appears, was the general application of 
the expression before us ; to which, however, there 
were some exceptions. 

Now, did the Jews by this phraseology under- 
stand the present and future states of man — the 
natural, and the spiritual world? They certainly 
did, generally, as clearly ascertained. Also, did 
our Lord address the Jews in such language as 



ARGUMENT FOURTH. 155 

they would readily understand? He certainly did : 
for they always felt the force of His language. 
Therefore, it follows that by "this world and the 
w r orld to come," in the passage under discussion, 
must be understood the present and future states 
of man. But man shall exist for ever: immortality 
is written upon his spirit. 

We have therefore fully proved, That the blas- 
phemy against the Holy Ghost shall never be for- 
given: — This we have proved from the fact that, 
to express the period, the future tense is used abso- 
lutely, which forcibly imports all futurity: — Proved 
also from the very expressive phraseology, " this 
world and that which is to come," which, as we 
have variously shown, expresses the utmost period 
of man's existence, both in the present life and the 
life to come. Either of these facts abstractly, as 
we have abundantly illustrated, is sufficient to es- 
tablish the proposition before us. But when this 
most intensive phraseology is used in connection 
with the future tense absolute, and so used as to 
define and qualify it ; then each receives strength 
from the other, — the future tense from the fact that 
it respects the present and future periods of man's 
existence, and these two periods from the fact that 
they are placed in the future tense absolute ; — and 
the two modes of expression thus combined express 
in the most intensive manner possible, the utmost pe- 
riod of man's existence, in the present natural, and 
the future spiritual world. Such is the concentrated 
evidence in proof of the proposition, That the blas- 
phemy against the Holy Ghost is never to be forgiven. 



156 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

But we have also proved in the premises of this 
Argument, That so long as this blasphemy is not 
forgiven, the blasphemer himself is held obnoxious 
to punishment — is punished. " No forgiveness" 
is the most dreadful threatening that ever came 
from the throne of God : it is the ban of ( " eternal) 
damnation." 

The conclusion therefore follows irresistibly, That 
throughout all futurity such bold transgressor shall 
be punished. The fearful truth seems so obviously 
expressed by the lips of Messiah himself, that to 
us it would appear criminal to even attempt an 
evasion, or in any wise to suppress its utterance. 

But suppose w r e admit in the present Argument 
w r hat cannot be proved : namely, that the phrase 
ology in question, " this world and that which is to 
come," denotes the two dispensations, the Jewish 
and the Christian ; still, the conclusion just express- 
ed will be as obvious from such premises as from 
those already laid down in the preceding interpre- 
tation. In their logical bearing on the final con- 
clusion of our Argument, it seems, indeed, to make 
but little difference which of these methods we 
adopt ; whether that of the present natural and 
the future spiritual world, or that of the Jewish and 
Christian dispensations. 

Understanding our Lord to speak, then, with re- 
ference to the two forms of the Divine administra- 
tion under the law and under the gospel, the sense 
of the passage may be given thus : " Whosoever 
shall utter blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall 



ARGUMENT FOURTH. 157 

not be forgiven, neither under the Jewish dispensa- 
tion, nor yet under the Christian." But it has been 
proved that so long as persons are not forgiven, 
they are sentenced to punishment : and therefore 
such as thus offended were held and considered 
obnoxious to punishment, not only during the Mo- 
saic economy, but throughout the age of the Mes- 
siah. From this declaration, then, the conclusion 
seems unavoidable, that those who were guilty of 
deliberate and malicious calumny against the Spirit 
of God daring our Saviour's personal ministry on 
the earth, have been in a state of punishment from 
that period on to the present time ; and that their 
sufferings will continue until the close of this dis- 
pensation. The conclusion, thus far, seems fair 
and logical. 

But again : The Christian dispensation is one of 
grace and pardon. Under it, and during its whole 
continuance, divine clemency will be magnified in 
dispensing free pardons to the sons of men. The 
period of these exhibitions of forgiving goodness — 
the reign of mercy under which we live — shall 
continue until the close of time, — even " until the 
Son shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, 
even the Father." Then shall the Messiah resign 
His mediatorial commission. Then shall he lay 
aside His sacerdotal robes, and cease to plead for 
guilty rebels. Then shall the reign of mercy end; 
and mercy's blood-stained scepter be no more ten- 
dered to the sinner for his acceptance. The gate 
leading into heaven, which will have been opened 
from the fall of man till the end of time, shall then 



158 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

be closed for ever. Thus shall finally terminate 
the reign and the dispensation of pardoning mercy. 
Beyond the Christian dispensation, then, as 
plainly follows from the very nature of the case, 
there can be no such thing as the forgiveness of 
sin: for, of other reserves of mercy, we have no 
intimation. It follows, also, then, with the same 
logical certainty, that they wiio are not forgiven 
during this gracious era, will never be forgiven : 
and it has been proved, that so long as the sinner 
is not forgiven, he is sentenced to punishment : 
And therefore the proof seems triumphant, and the 
conclusion inevitable, even from the premises last 
laid down, That those guilty of blasphemy against 
the Holy Ghost shall be punished for ever. 

Thus, reasoning from either interpretation, w r e 
are conducted to but one conclusion ; which may 
be fully and fairly stated thus : The blasphemy 
against the Holy Ghost was not forgiven under the 
Jewish dispensation ; nor is it forgiven under the 
Christian : It is not forgiven during the present state 
of the sinner's existence; nor will it be forgiven 
throughout the unending period of his future state : 
It is never to be forgiven : His punishment will 
never end. 

Besides those already given, there are several 
other passages in the New Testament, in which 
the word in question (cu^v, aijn,) is used in a man- 
ner different from its primary and general sense of 
duration. These, however, do not materially affect 



ARGUMENT FOURTH. 159 

the general character of the Argument: though 
however, I mention them in anticipation of an ob- 
jection which possibly may be founded on them. 
In all the passages now to be adduced, the word 
occurs in the plural number; and in some of the 
places it is to be understood in the sense of plural- 
ity of worlds, while in others again it signifies ages 
or dispensations. 

The former sense appears to be conveyed in the 
following examples: Heb. ii: 2. — "God — hath in 
these last days spoken unto us by his Son, — by whom 
also he made tov$ auoj/a$, (tous aionas,) the worlds." 
The Jews believed in the existence of three worlds : 
1. The lower world, the region of elements, the 
abode of men. 2. The middle world, the celestial 
orbs, the starry heavens. 3. The upper world, the 
lofty abode of God, and angels, and spirits. In 
this sense, " God made the worlds " — He made the 
universe. Also, Heb. xi : 3. — " Through faith we 
understand that (tov$ <uw*/a$) the worlds were framed 
by the word of God." See above. God framed 
the whole fabric of heaven and earth. 

But in the examples following, the word expresses 
the sense of ages or dispensations. It generally 
denotes past dispensations, as in the following 
places: 1 Cor. ii : 7. — " But we speak the wis- 
dom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, 
which God ordained Ttpo iw aiavtov, (pro ton aionon,) 
before the w r orlds unto our glory." While the 
Jews believed in three worlds, as above ; they also 
distributed the duration of this world into three 
grand periods, ages, or dispensations, of about two 



160 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

thousand years each: 1. The age before the law. 
2. The age under the law. ~3. The age under the 
Messiah. Ere the commencement of this long 
chain of ages or dispensations, " God ordained for 
our glory the hidden wisdom " of the Gospel. Also, 
1 Tim. i: 17. — "Now unto the King t^v ai^v^v (ton 
aionon,) eternal," as our version reads ; but, literally 
" King of the ages : " — the King of all dispensa- 
tions and of all periods. The sense, however, may 
be, " The King of eternities ; " namely, eternity past 
and eternity to come ; which is equivalent to " King 
of eternity," in the absolute sense ; or, a King eter- 
nal." Indeed, the former sense implies the latter; 
as He who is, absolutely, " King of the ages," is 
" The King eternal." But whether in the examples 
now given, the apostle refers to these different pe- 
riods or not, it is plain that he does in those which 
follow: 1 Cor. x: 11. — " Now all these things hap- 
pened unto them for ensamples : and they are writ- 
ten for our admonition, upon whom the ends {*§&$> 
CHW2/W*') of the world are come," as improperly ren- 
dered in the English version ; but, more literally 
and correctly, as also more in accordance with truth, 
" the ends of the ages," or dispensations, namely, 
the Patriarchal, Mosaic, and Christian. The sense 
is, That the last age, that of the Messiah, has come 
upon us ; which also includes within itself the ulti- 
mate end of the former ages. Col. i : 26. — " The 
mystery hath been hid (arco t^v av^viov,) from (past) 
ages and generations." Also, Heb. ix: 26. — "Now 
once in the end (tiov a^vuv) of the worlds hath he 
(Christ) appeared." It was at the close of the 



ARGUMENT FOURTH. 161 

former typical ages that the Messiah made his first 
advent. The sense of the word in the last three 
passages is obvious. In the remaining passage in 
which the word occurs in the sense of age, it seems 
to refer to the dispensation of grace: Eph. ii : 7. — 
" That ev ?oi$ (uwcrc- ?oi$ 87ti;p%oiJ,i:voL$, (en tois aiosi tois 
eperchomenois,) in the ages to come he might show 
the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness 
toward us through Christ Jesus." It is probable 
that the apostle refers to the periods, respectively, 
of grace and glory, regarding the latter as the con- 
summation of the whole scheme of mercy; in which, 
especially, shall be exhibited the vast plenitude of 
divine grace. Such displays of benignity " through 
Jesus Christ" shall be made to the church in all 
future periods, even through the unwasting ages of 
eternity. 

We have now adverted to the passages in which 
the word in question occurs in the plural ; and have 
found that, in this form, it signifies in some places 
worlds, and in others, ages or dispensations. 

But the question may be propounded in reference 
to the word before us, (atio*,) Why should the plural 
be generally used when it occurs in the sense of 
age or dispensation, and the singular when em- 
ployed to denote the state or period of human ex- 
istence? A satisfactory answer to this question 
will tend to confirm the preceding Argument. The 
reason, however, is found in the observations which 
have already been made. There have been differ- 
ent dispensations in the present world, as the Jews 

themselves justlv maintained: but there is but one 
U 



162 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT, 

present state of our existence, the present natural 
world. Also, included within the universe of God, 
there may be various systems complete in them- 
selves, like the present world. Therefore the word, 
when used of the universe in general, — as involving 
a plurality of worlds or systems, — occurs in the 
plural : also, when applied to the divine adminis- 
tration, — implying a variety of modes and periods, — 
the plural is used. But when it signifies the pres- 
ent natural state or order of things — - implying 
unity — the singular is employed : and for the same 
reason the singular is used when the word refers to 
the future state or period of man's existence. Thus, 
in every case in which the word in question is used 
of ages or dispensations, it occurs in the plural : but 
in the passage under discussion, it is found in the 
singular. 

The phraseology, " the end of the world," we 
shall examine in a subsequent Argument. 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 



THE FINAL DOOM OF THE WICKED IN POINT OF DURATION, TO 
BE THE SAME WITH THAT OF FALLEN ANGELS. 

" God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them 
down to hell, and delivered them unto chains of darkness, to 
be reserved unto judgment." — 2 Peter ii : 4. 

" And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left 
their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains 
under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day." — Jude 
6, (compared with 2 Peter iii : 4-12.) 

" The angels " are an order of beings in the 
ascending scale of existence between man and the 
Deity. This should be obvious to every one who 
has the slightest acquaintance with the sacred vol- 
ume. At the incarnation of Christ, the wonderful 
transaction was announced, in heaven's sweetest 
melody, by a choir of these angelic spirits. Thus 
run, in sweet accord, the annunciation and the 
seraphic anthem : " And there were in the same 
country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping 
watch over their flocks by night. And, lo, the angel 
of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the 
Lord shone round about them ; and they were sore 
afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not ; 
for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, 
which shall be to all people. For unto you is born 
this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is 



184 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto 
you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swad- 
dling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly 
there was with the angel a multitude of the hea- 
venly host, praising God, and saying, glory to God 
in the highest, and on earth peace, good will to- 
ward men." — Luke ii : 8-14. These are the pure 
and blessed intelligences which encircle the throne 
of Jehovah in sublime devotion. 

In his epistle to the Hebrews concerning the 
true Messiah the apostle thus writes; "Verily He 
took not on him the nature of angels ; bat He took 
on Him the seed of Abraham." — ii : 16. In this 
passage, by the term " angels," the inspired writer 
obviously means an order of intelligences distinct 
from man : Because, if the apostle referred to the 
nature of those beings which he calls angels, then 
that nature could not be human, forasmuch as 
Christ actually "did take upon Himself" human 
nature ; or, according to another, and perhaps, a 
better interpretation, He assisted our nature, that 
is, by redeeming it; which could not be stated in 
reference to the angels. Also, it is very certain 
that the name here cannot refer to the mere official 
character of any beings, as, for example, the office 
of ambassador; for that our Redeemer actually did 
take upon Himself such an office, when He visited 
our world as " the Messenger of the covenant." 
While therefore the " angels " are a distinct order 
of beings from man, it is equally plain that they 
are superior to man. Citing from the Book of 
Psalms, the apostle says, " Thou madest him 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 165 

(primarily, "man" or Adam, though Christ, sec- 
ondarily,) a little lower than the angels." — Heb. 
ii : 7. Many arguments might be given in proof of 
the proposition, That the angels are an order of 
beings distinct from man, and superior to him. 

If it be objected that men are sometimes called 
" angels : " I reply that they are also sometimes 
called " gods. 5 ' 

" The angels that sinned, and kept not their first 
estate," were originally the same with those above- 
mentioned* their nature and powers, their state 
and dignity, were the same. But they sinned and 
fell. As touching the history of their rebellion, we 
know but little. The poet has delineated it in 
graphic coloring from its commencement to its ter- 
mination : but the sacred penmen are silent on this 
subject. We are left ignorant of the origin of 
moral evil. The sum of all the light which ra- 
diates from heaven on this dark question seems to 
converge in one brief sentence: "When lust hath 
conceived, it bringeth forth sin ; and sin, when it 
is finished, bringeth forth death." — James i : 15. We 
should not presume to be wise above what is writ- 
ten. " Secret things belong unto Jehovah." Suf- 
fice it for us to know that moral evil has made its 
entrance into the universe of God — has marred the 
beauty, and laid waste the glory of some of its 
bright provinces ; and that man has not escaped 
from its dire contagion. It has stricken down our 
own native paradise — withered its bloom, and 
scattered its fruit for ever. This we know. But 
beyond this we cannot — beyond this we dare not — 



166 DOCTEINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

go. Even Gabriel should blush to speak when God 
is silent — should blush to write where God has 
left a blank. 

But both Peter and Jude have given some 
account of the sin and fall of angels. And the 
sum total of what they have taught, expressly and 
impliedly, may be briefly stated thus : That the 
primitive situation of the fallen angels was holy, 
happy, and honorable — That they possessed the 
power to continue in their "first estate" — But 
that, mysteriously to us, they offended against their 
Creator, and incurred His displeasure — That they 
were therefore deprived of their pristine honors 
and privileges, and doomed to a state of misery — 
That such, in some measure, is their situation at 
this time, to be continued until the end of the 
world, being "reserved" as prisoners to the day of 
execution — That after " the judgment of the great 
day," their punishment will be full and complete — 
And that their misery will continue for ever. 
These positions, by plain expression or fair infer- 
ence, are obviously taught in the w T ords before us. 

But after all, indeed, it is not of much import- 
ance to the present Argument, whether the posi- 
tion — that holy angelic spirits have fallen from 
heaven — be admitted, or utterly denied, as is gen- 
erally done by those who impugn the doctrine of 
endless punishment. Or, rather, in the latter case — 
that the position be denied — the Argument be- 
comes less complex ; though, in the former case, it 
is equally conclusive. Because, if the term " an- 
gels " be understood in the sense of men } then the 



argujMent fifth. 167 

proof that angels shall suffer everlasting punish- 
ment, is the very thing for which we contend. But 
if the angels be a distinct order of beings, as 
already ascertained ; then the doctrine for which 
we plead, as taught in this connection, can be 
proved only by presenting the endless misery of 
fallen spirits, as an example of the future doom of 
wicked men. But let us proceed more directly to 
the Argument. 

1st. The angels that sinned and kept not their 
first estate, are sentenced to suffer everlasting pun- 
ishment. In support of this proposition, I submit 
the following arguments : 

1. From the place of their punishment. The 
apostle says, " God spared not the angels that 
sinned, but raprap^aa^ (tartarosas) cast them down 
to hell." The word occurs not elsewhere in the 
New Testament; nor is it found in the Septuagint. 
It becomes us therefore to examine its import in 
the light, and with the aid, of classical usage. And 
as Mr. Parkhurst has given a number of examples 
in his Greek Lexicon, I will here present the reader 
with his own collection and observations : 

" The scholiast on iEschylus Eumen. says, Pin- 
dar relates that Apollo overcame the Python by 
force, wherefore the earth endeavored taprapu>oai, to 
cast him into Tartarus. Tzetzes uses the same 
word raprapow (tartaroo) for casting or sending into 
Tartarus : and the compound V. xararaprapci^ is 
found in Apollodorus, in Didymus's scholia on 
Homer, in Pharmutus, De Nat. Deor. p. 11, edit. 



168 



DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 



Gale, and in the book Uspv no^a/tw, which is extant 
among the works of Plutarch. And those whom 
Apollodorus styles xatairaptapu&svtas he in the same 
breath calls ^fewa* h$ Taptapov, cast into Tartarus. 
Thus the learned Windet in Poole's Synopsis. We 
may, then, I think, safely assert, that ^ap^apcocraj, in 
St. Peter means not, as Mede (Works, fol. p. 23,) 
interprets it, to adjudge to, but to cast into, Tar- 
tarus, pLTCtuv «•$ Taprapov, as in Homer cited below. 
And, in order to know what was the precise inten- 
tion of the apostle by this expression, we must 
inquire what is the accurate import of the term 
Taprapoj (Tartaros.) Now it appears from a passage 
in Lucian, that by Tap*»j>«$ was meant, in a physi- 
cal sense, the verge or bounds of this material 
system ; for, addressing himself to epos, Cupid, or 
Love, he says : 

Sy yap g£ aqcivouz xat Ki^v/uiv^; cLjucpqtx.?, TO ITAN tfu&ptpzixrcLr ws&fe^ ci>v 
'OAOT K02MOT r&qav Ttva, noivcv a$i\m to vrepDiiijuevov %AQCi tMtvo /u?v 
ig ir^HTCU TAPTAPOT juu^cv; eqevyxSivraz, ivtia* w? aXrtiteg, 

Thou formedst the universe from its confused and chaotic state, and 
after separating and dispersing the circumfused chaos, in which, as 
in one common sepulcher, the whole world lay buried ; thou drovest 
it to the confines (or recesses) of outer Tartarus, 

Where iron gates and bars (ground) of solid brass 
Keep it in durance irrefrangible, 
And its return prohibit. 

Tartarus then, in its proper physical sense, is the 
condensed, solid, and immoveable, darkness which 
surrounds the material universe. 

" The ancient Greeks appear to have received, 
by tradition, an account of the punishment of 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 169 

fallen angels, and of bad men after death ; and 
their poets did, in conformity, I presume, with that 
account, make Tartarus the place where the giants, 
who rebelled against Jupiter, and the souls of the 
wicked, were confined. Here, saith Hesiod, Theo- 
gon. line 720, 1, the rebellious Titans were bound 
in penal chains 

Tcccrcv mpS' Ctto yve. h<rov zvpuvoc err 1 clttz yai»c> 
J<rcv Kcif> t' 'ct7ro y»s, eg TAPTAPON tiepcwra.. 

As far beneath the earth as earth from heav'n, 
For such the distance thence to Tartarus: 

— Which description will very well agree with the 
proper sense of Tartarus, if we take the earth for 
the center of the material system, and reckon from 
our zenith, or the extremity of the heavens that is 
over our heads : but as the Greeks imagined the 
earth to be of a boundless depth, so it must not be 
dissembled that their poets speak of Tartarus as a 
vast pit or gulf in the bowels of it. Thus Hesiod, 
in the same poem, line 119, calls it 

TAPTAPA r^spcwTX ^X 00 X^^ 09 " &fwSfetii&, 
Black Tartarus within earth's spacious womb. 

And Homer, Iliad viii, line 13, introduces Jupiter 
threatening any of the gods who should presume 
to assist either the Greeks or the Trojans, that he 
should come back wounded to heaven, 

H [aiv Ixqdv fix® sr TAPTAPON »f>avra, 

Taxe juctx', y>x i @'*Bt<r*rcv v7ro ^Scvcs ztti 0eps8ficy, 

Tocra-ov ep^S 1 A/<f&a>, o<rov cupavo; wr uttq yaw-:. 

15 



170 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

Or far, oh far from steep Olympus thrown, 
Low in the deep Tartarean gulf shall groan. 
That gulf which iron gates and brazen ground, 
Within the earth inexorable bound ; 
f As deep beneath the infernal center hurl'd, 
As from that center to the ethereal world.' — Pope. 

Where, according to Homer's description, II. viii, 
line 480, 1, 

Our cLuytc, uttspiovo; htxioio 

Tzp-7rovr', our avquiGM @*Qus Sin TAPTAPO^ ajuqt;. 

* No sun e'er gilds the gloomy horrors there, 
No cheerful gales refresh the lazy air,' 
But murky Tartarus extends around. — Pope. 

Or, in the language of the old Latin poet, (cited 
by Cicero, Tuscul. lib. i. cap. 15.) 

" Ubi rigida constat crassa caligo inferum." 

Where, in those lower regions, thick and dreadful darkness reigns 
continually. 

" On the whole, then, tuptapwp in St. Peter is the 
the same as frktfw h Taprapo^ to throw into Tar- 
tarus, in Homer, only rectifying the poet's mistake 
of Tartarus being in the bowels of the earth, and 
recurring to the true original sense of that word 
above explained, which, when applied to spirits, 
must be interpreted spiritually; and thus *apraputfa$ 
will import that God cast the apostate angels out of 
his presence into that £090$ ?ov 6xo?ov$, blackness of 
darkness, (2 Pet. ii: 17; Jude 13,) where they will 
be for ever banished from the light of his counte- 
nance and from the beatifying influence of the ever- 
blessed Three ; as truly as a person plunged into 
the torpid boundary of this created system would 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 171 

be from the light of the sun, and the benign opera- 
tions of the material heavens." 

It appears, then, that Tartarus, according to the 
Greek mythology, was a place of punishment near 
the center of the earth, namely, that division of 
Hades, or the invisible world, into which all incor- 
rigibly wicked beings will finally be cast : that 
the Titans and Giants, fabled beings among the 
heathens, — whom probably we may regard as 
traditionary vestiges of the fallen angels — were 
primarily cast into this unfathomable abyss of 
darkness and woe : and that in process of time it 
became the place of torment for wicked men. 

It is of importance in addition to remark, that 
those who were doomed to Tartarus, were consid- 
ered bound over to eternal torment. Thus, Tityos, 
Sisyphus, Ixion, and Tantalus, were sentenced to 
unending punishment. The "vulture" is repre- 
sented as " feeding perpetually " on Tityos without 
destroying his life. Sisyphus is doomed to a 
" never-ending still-beginning toil : " he labors in 
vain to accomplish his task : he meets with an 
eternal defeat. Ixion was precipitated by Jupiter 
into Erebus, down to " Tartarus," where " he was 
fixed with brazen bands to an ever-revolving fiery 
wheel." Tantalus, standing up to his chin in 
water, with all manner of fruit suspended over his 
head, is for ever tantalized with the hope of drink- 
ing the water w^hich still eludes his lips — with the 
prospect of plucking the fruit which still escapes 
his grasp : he is tormented for ever. There was no 
hope of redemption or deliverance from Tartarus. 



172 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

It plainly follows, therefore, as the apostle uses 
this word to express the doom of fallen angels, that 
their misery will be eternal. 

2. The same proposition is proved from the fact, 
That the punishment of the fallen angels shall be 
executed in full at the final judgment which shall 
take place at the close of the present natural order 
of things. 

Now the "judgment" mentioned, 2 Pet. ii : 4, is 
the same that shall be executed on "the day of 
judgment," as announced at verse 9; because the 
intimate connection imperiously demands it. Also, 
the day of judgment, in this last cited passage is 
the same with " the day of judgment and perdition 
of ungodly men," as threatened in 2 Pet. iii : 7. 
This is obvious from the fact that the same general 
subject is continued. The whole connection may 
be briefly stated thus : " If God reserve the fallen 
angels unto a final judgment, (2 Pet. ii : 4,) then, 
also, He knows how to reserve the unjust unto the 
day of such retribution : (ver. 9 :) and if any object 
to the doctrine as not in accordance with the order 
of nature ; (2 Pet. iii : 4 ;) on the contrary, both 
nature and revelation bear ample testimony to the 
doctrine of a final judgment at the Messiah's 
second advent." — ver. 5-10. Thus plainly the 
ultimate doom of fallen angels, (2 Pet. ii : 4,) shall 
be fully executed on the day of judgment. — iii : 7. 

But the judgment last referred to, (2 Pet. iii : 7,) 
will take place at the close of the present natural 
order of things. I do not say that the expression 
is not elsewhere applied to the close of the Jewish 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 173 

dispensation, or the time of Jerusalem's downfall; 
nor do I now affirm that the doctrine of a future 
reckoning is elsewhere taught in the sacred writings: 
I assert nothing pro or con, in this place, with re- 
spect to either of these positions. But whether the 
doctrine be elsewhere plainly taught in the Scrip- 
tures, or not, (though, doubtless, however, it is,) 
in the passage before us, "the day of judgment" 
does not refer to the calamities of the Jews, or the 
abrogation of the Jewish economy, as the advocates 
of universal salvation maintain: but it does refer 
to the day of final retribution at the close of the 
present natural order of things. This position is 
of sufficient importance to merit a full examination. 
The correctness of the position may be seen in the 
following arguments : 

1. The very nature of the objection which the 
"scoffers" urge against the coming of the Messiah 
to judgment, is strong proof in support of the po- 
sition. They object, " Where (now) is the promise 
of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all 
things continue as they were from the beginning of 
the creation." — 2 Pet. iii : 4. The Jewish state had 
not been in existence from the creation of the world; 
but the objectors supposed that the present order of 
the material world had remained without any con- 
siderable change from the date of its primitive con- 
stitution to the time then present. And now say 
they, " What intimation can be given that the world 
will soon come to an end ? The sun shines as it 
did four (or six) thousand years ago : the light of 
the moon is the same now as it was then : the 



174 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

starry world, without mutation, sheds on our sphere, 
as ever, when reposed in silence, the dim rays of 
midnight : winter and summer, seedtime and har- 
vest, as in ancient times, still roll on their succes- 
sive seasons, in the passing year. Nature, now, 
seems youthful as ever. Her countenance is not 
wrinkled : her locks are not gray : her robe seems 
not worn : ' All things continue as they were from 
the beginning of the creation.' " Thus, we per- 
ceive that the objection does not apply to the 
Jewish economy: but its whole force is felt when 
referred to the present system or order of things, 
the material heavens and earth. Now as the ob- 
jection is not urged against the dissolution of the 
Jewish economy, but against that of the material 
world; it plainly follows that the apostle's answer, 
to be appropriate, must refer to the same system : 
and therefore, in his reply, he does not describe the 
concluding scene of the Jewish dispensation, but 
the end of the existing natural order of things. 

2. The same conclusion follows from the antith- 
esis which the apostle institutes between the Ante- 
diluvian world, once destroyed by water, and the 
(Diluvian or) Post-diluvian world, to be destroyed 
by fire. — ver. 5-7. " For this," saith he, " they 
willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God 
the heavens were of old, and the earth standing 
out of the water and in the water : Whereby the 
world that then was, being overflowed with water, 
perished : But the heavens and the earth which are 
now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved 
unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 175 

of ungodly men." In this passage the apostle first 
states, "that by the word of God the heavens were 
of old, and the earth standing out of the water and 
in the water." The words in the original seem 
somewhat obscure, and hence are variously rendered 
and interpreted : but the obscurity is much increased 
in the English version. The passage may very well 
be rendered thus: " The heaven and the earth, as 
they originally existed, were formed out of the water, 
and by means of the water." The sense appears 
to be, That the whole system of the earth and the 
serial heavens was originally formed out of the 
substance of water, or from a watery, liquid mass, 
as is clearly demonstrated by nature; and that by 
the agency of water, the wonderful fabric was first 
reduced to due form, and then preserved. The 
apostle proceeds : " Whereby," by which water, 
" the world that then was, being overflowed with 
water, perished." " The world that then was," 
that is, the world as then existing, " being over- 
flowed with water," deluged with the flood in the 
time of Noah, " perished." Not only were the 
inhabitants swept away, but the form and structure 
of the earth itself, and even of the atmosphere, as 
many suppose, were very materially changed, by 
the flood. Thus, the primitive substance of which 
the world was formed, and then the means of its 
preservation, becomes, in consequence of the wick- 
edness of man, the cause of its destruction. " But 
the heavens and the earth which are now," that is, 
these aerial heavens and this earth, in their present 
form and structure, " by the same word," the divine 



176 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

fiat, " are kept in store," laid up in the treasury of 
God, and there " reserved unto fire against the day 
of judgment :" that is, to be dissolved by fire at the 
final retribution. 

Such, then, as now explained, seems the natural 
and literal sense of the passage : The world — 
" the heavens and the earth — was divinely formed 
out of the substance of water: — The world also 
was reduced to due form, and then preserved, by the 
agency of water: — " The world then perished by 
water:" — And finally, the world — "the heavens 
and the earth" which were created — "shall be 
destroyed by fire." But let the antithesis be pre- 
sented in a more concentrated form : " The world, 
as anciently existing, perished by water ; but the 
world, as it now is shall be destroyed by fire." 
The contrast clearly and evidently fixes the sense 
of the apostle. From the antithesis, then, which 
he uses, and the manner of conducting it through- 
out, it is plain that "the heavens and the earth to 
be destroyed by fire," must be understood in the 
physical sense : for, if not, then the creation of the 
world, and its destruction by water, must also be 
understood metaphorically; which would be absurd 
in the last degree. 

The sense now clearly ascertained, and justly 
settled, is also confirmed by what the apostle attri- 
butes to the " scoffers : " " For, of this," says he, 
"they are willingly ignorant;" namely, (of the 
manner of the creation, but especially,) of the de- 
struction of the old world by a flood as recorded 
in the Mosaic history. The apostle charges the 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 177 

scoffing adversaries with " willful ignorance," as the 
sense probably is ; that, at least, they were willing to 
remain in ignorance as touching the important facts 
just alluded to, and especially that concerning the 
flood — willfully ignorant — lest, by such premises, 
their ridicule should be silenced, and themselves 
forced to admit the probability of a second destruc- 
tion of the world. Now, if the ground of dispute 
had been concerning the dissolution of the Jewish 
economy, we cannot conceive with what show of 
propriety these profane mockers would pretend 
ignorance of the Mosaic account in reference to the 
deluge. But let the point at issue have been the 
dissolution of this material world, and then, with a 
specious, though false, policy in argument, they 
might seem to conceal the well known fact ; and 
thus, reasoning from the uniformity of nature, con- 
clude that the world would never come to an end. 
" Xot so, says the apostle : their premises are false ; 
and, consequently, their conclusion is unjust. It is 
not true — that the world was never destroyed : and 
therefore it does not follow, that it never will be 
destroyed again. But the fact is well authenticated, 
and well known, that the world was once destroyed : 
and therefore, on their own favorite principle of 
reasoning — that of analogy— it may — "it will" — 
be destroyed again. Formerly, however, it was 
destroyed by water : but its future destruction will 
be effected by fire." Such is the character of the 
apostle's reply: in which the appeal against his 
adversaries is very pointed ; the antithesis between 
a former destruction of the world by water, and a 



178 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

future dissolution by fire, is strongly marked ; and 
the refutation of the objection, total. 

3. The language with which the apostle expresses 
the wondrous catastrophe, apart from any such an- 
tithesis as above, imperiously demands the physical 
interpretation. — ver. 10, 12. "But the day of the 
Lord" of which we speak — "the day of judg- 
ment" — "will come as a thief in the night," cer- 
tainly, suddenly, and unexpectedly: 

" In the which the heavens shall pass away with 
. a great noise." " The heavens," as frequently, de- 
notes in this place, the atmosphere. " — shall pass 
away : " the atmosphere, which, in its present con- 
stitution, is the seat of aqueous vapors, and a great 
source of animal and vegetative life, shall disap- 
pear. The apostle, however, first says of " the 
heavens," they "shall pass away;" (ver. 10,) and 
then immediately adds, they " shall be dissolved ;" 
(ver. 12,) thereby making it clearly manifest that 
they shall pass away by being dissolved. The 
serial heavens, resuming their primitive elements, 
shall be changed in form and structure, and thus 
disappear. In the first instance the apostle says 
nothing as to the means by which they shall be 
changed and recede from view : in the last he men- 
tions the agency of fire : " The heavens being on 
fire" — the whole circumambient atmosphere en- 
compassing the face of the whole earth, the vast 
expanse of the serial heavens, being wrapped in 
flames, and intensely heated — " shall be dissolved." 
This dissolution may be effected by the electric 
fluid. But the manner and effect will be dreadful. 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 179 

" The heavens shall pass away with a great noise;" 
or, as may be literally rendered, " with a whiz " or 
whizzing sound ; as when a body rushes with vio- 
lence through the atmosphere : thus, according to 
Parkhurst, u with a noise or sound resembling that 
of a great storm." The original QSet&^fo* rhoidze- 
don) implies rapid motion; but, more accurately, it 
expresses the effect of that motion by way of sound. 
Thus thunder implies the rapid electric motion that 
we call lightning ; but it more fully expresses the 
effect — the loud report. The atmospheric dissolu- 
tion shall itself constitute a kind of dreadful ex- 
plosion. It will doubtless be attended with glaring 
lightnings and loud thunderings. The heavens, on 
a sudden, will fall with a mighty crash : 

" And the elements shall melt with fervent heat." 
By " the elements " here we must understand the 
primary principles of matter; as, in reference to 
the atmosphere, oxygen and nitrogen ; in reference 
to water, oxygen and hydrogen ; and thus with 
respect to all other bodies. Now, the elementary 
principles of matter, being combined, form bodies 
of various consistency — sometimes fluid, sometimes 
solid. And accordingly, the apostle makes use of 
two different words, applicable to these bodies re- 
spectively, and accurately expressive of the changes 
to pass upon them. Thus, he uses the word xvw, 
(luo) to dissolve, as fluids : (applied to " the ele- 
ments," ver. 10;) and r^xio, (teko) to melt, as solids; 
(applied also to iC the elements" at ver. 12,) though 
both words are rendered alike in our English ver- 
sion. In the first of these passages, he says, " The 



180 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

elements -kv^ovtai" literally, "shall be dissolved;" 
even as " the heavens shall be dissolved," as the 
apostle declares at verse 12, where the same word 
occurs. Then again in this last cited passage, he 
also says of " the elements," fqxivtit they " shall 
melt or be melted." The elements, then, being 
chemically combined in the constitution of fluid 
bodies, shall be dissolved : their chemical affinity 
shall be destroyed, and they shall assume their 
primitive forms : or, being thus combined in solid 
bodies, they shall melt. But in either case, the 
operation shall be performed by the agency of fire : 
" The elements shall be dissolved — and shall melt — 
with fervent heat : " that is, being intensely heated — 
heated by the fires of God — they shall be dissolved, 
and melt away. By the agency of fire, then, shall 
the air, the water, and all fluids, "be dissolved;" 
at the same time that the granite, the adamant, 
the hardest rock, and all solid bodies " shall melt 
away." 

" The earth also, and the works that are therein, 
shall be burned up." When the water and at- 
mosphere are converted into combustible matter, 
and become enveloped in one magnificent volume 
of flame, can aught then be expected, but that the 
fire pervade the whole earth ? " And the works 
that are therein " — the works of art and human 
industry — towers and cities, temples and palaces, 
navies, and all that is grand in architecture — all 
shall be consumed in the general burning. They 
" shall be burned up." The language is intensively 
vigorous. The world, compared to a great edifice, 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 181 

and furnished off with all the works of art and 
industry, shall not only be wrapped in flames, but 
the august building shall be utterly burned down, 
as the original imports : it shall be entirely laid 
waste, and reduced to ashes. In this interpretation 
we affirm nothing as to the manner, extent, totality, 
and result, of this destruction of our world by fire, — 
any further than to confirm the fact. 

Now that the apostle's whole description belongs 
to the final conflagration, seems perfectly obvious, 
when we consider: 1st. The literal sense of the lan- 
guage demands it. 2d. The inspired writer men- 
tions briefly everything connected with the present 
mundane system: "The heavens" — the atmos- 
phere we breathe: " The elements" — the primary 
principles of all bodies, whether fluid or solid : 
" The earth " — surrounded by the atmosphere, and 
the main body and the center of the system doomed 
to destruction ; and lastly, " The works that are 
therein " — all things bearing the impress of the 
human hand. Everything is mentioned: every- 
thing feels the force of fire. 3d. Observe, finally, 
the philosophic order with which the sacred painter 
delineates the awful scene. The fire of God per- 
vades our entire system. But mark well its course. 
The work of devastation commences in the atmos- 
phere. The (electric?) fire dissolves its wonder- 
ful contexture. Now, the searching, all-pervading 
fluid seizes on the "elements" of all other bodies. 
Their present relations and affinities are completely 
" dissolved." Next, the whole " earth " throughout, 
from the circumference to the center, is subject to 



182 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

the devastating flame. Finally, the "works" of 
men are all consumed by the same devouring agent- 
Such, according to the inspired ambassador of 
Jehovah, shall be the final conflagration. How 
grand ! How magnificent ! " He spake, and it 
was done:" — He speaks, and it is undone. At 
His bidding, the fiery storm sweeps through the 
universe. It is His breath that kindles the univer- 
sal flame. The atmosphere with all its clouds, the 
earth with its majestic mountains and waving for- 
ests, both land and sea, 

" The cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces, 
The solemn temples, the great globe itself, 
And all that it inherits," 

shall constitute one vast pile, all in flames. 

Now, considering how literally, how fully and 
forcibly, with what apparent care and exactness, 
in what philosophic order, and finally, with what 
awful sublimity, the apostle describes the dissolu- 
tion of the heavens and the earth by fire, we are 
even forced to conclude that he speaks of the final 
conflagration. 

But it may be said, that Peter's language in his 
epistle, is very similar to that which he uses in his 
sermon on the day of Pentecost, when he cites the 
following passage as being fulfilled : " And I will 
show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the 
earth beneath ; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke : 
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the 
moon into blood, before that great and notable day 
of the Lord come." — Acts ii: 19, 20. Now then, 
as this passage is to be understood metaphorically; 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 183 

so, too, it is maintained 3 should the one which occurs 
in his epistle. 

But I would reply that between the two passages 
there is but little similarity. In his Pentecostal ser- 
mon, Peter mentions the "sun" and "moon;" of 
which he says nothing in his epistle. In the latter 
again, mention is made of the " elements " and the 
" works " of men upon the earth ; which are not 
noticed in the former. Indeed, the "wonders" 
mentioned on the day of Pentecost, were u signs ; " 
and doubtless symbolized, among other things, the 
final advent of the Messiah to judgment, and the 
dissolution of this material world : but no signs are 
foretold by Peter when predicting the conflagra- 
tion : the grand transaction he describes is the very 
thing signified. Again : Upon a comparison of the 
two events predicted by the same inspired author, 
in his sermon and in his epistle, we find that in 
the former he simply mentions great changes in 
the world ; bat in the latter, the destruction of the 
world: thus, in the former, "signs and winders in 
earth and heaven ; " but in the latter, "the dissolu- 
tion of the heavens and the elements by fire, the 
burning up of the earth and the works that are 
therein." Finally : The " signs and wonders " an- 
nounced on the day of Pentecost were to take place 
before the end of the world ; but those transactions 
described in the epistle, are to mark its termina- 
tion — the former are to transpire, before the final 
advent; the latter, at the very time : Thus, " I will 

show r wonders in heaven above, ■ 

before that great and notable day of the 



184 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

Lord come."— Acts ii : 19, 20. " But the day of the 
Lord will come as a thief in the night ; in the 
which the heavens shall pass away with a great 

noise. ." — 2 Pet. iii : 10. Now, those events 

which are to take place before " the day of the 
Lord," cannot be identified with those which shall 
be performed on that day. Upon the whole, then, 
the words of Peter in his Pentecostal discourse and 
in his epistle, instead of being very similar, are 
very dissimilar. It is probable that the former 
refers to the dissolution of the Jewish state, as we 
shall notice in the sequel of this Argument : and 
as the latter must respect a still later period, the 
proof becomes rather increased than diminished, 
that they describe the final dissolution of our world. 
4. Out of the ruins of the old creation shall a 
new one arise, excelling the first in beauty and 
grandeur, in righteousness and permanence, as 
much as heaven excels the earth. — ver. 13. " Nev- 
ertheless we, according to his promise, look for new 
heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth right- 
eousness." The "promise" to which the apostle 
most probably alludes, is found in Isaiah lxv : 17; 
" For, behold, I create new heavens and a new 
earth ; and the former shall not be remembered, 
nor come into mind." But while in this connection, 
there are some things said by the prophet in rela- 
tion to the new order of things, which seem appli- 
cable to the church militant; other things again 
are uttered which pertain exclusively to the future 
and eternal world. Thus, Jehovah not only says, 
describing the nature of the new and heavenly 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 185 

world, " Behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and 
her people a joy ; And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, 
and joy in my people:" He also adds, " And the 
voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, 
nor the voice of crying." — Isa. lxv: 18, 19. This 
language cannot apply to the church of Christ in 
her earthly state. She is now in the valley of tears. 
"The voice of weeping is (still) heard within her, 
and the voice of crying." Her sorrows will end but 
with her earthly existence. And when the future 
cloudless world shall succeed to the present, then, 
and then only, " shall the voice of weeping be no 
more heard within Jerusalem, nor the voice of 
crying." It follows, therefore, that the new crea- 
tion which the prophet predicts, and the apostle 
represents as rising from the ruins of the old, 
blessed with righteousness and peace, adorned with 
light and glory, is not the Christian dispensation, — 
under which is felt care and sorrow, under which 
is heard the voice of mourning: it is that more 
blessed and perfect order of things beyond time and 
sense, in the future changeless world : " The new 
heavens and the new earth" are the bright realms 
of Jehovah, where care and sorrow are not known; 
where, only, " the voice of weeping is never heard." 
Therefore, also, it follows, that the old "heavens 
and earth to be destroyed by fire " is not the Jewish 
economy, but the present natural world. 

5. From the date of this epistle of Peter, com- 
pared with the time of the dissolution of the 
Mosaic dispensation and the introduction of the 
Christian, it becomes further evident, that the 
16 



186 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

apostle could not, in the passage before us, speak 
of a change of dispensations ; but that he did 
announce the dissolution of the material world. 
Now, the Jewish economy as a divine dispensation, 
closed on the day of Pentecost. On that day it 
was, that the promised effusion of the Holy Spirit 
was granted largely to the human family. Then 
was fulfilled " that which was spoken by the prophet 
Joel ; And it shall come to pass in the last days, 
(saith God,) I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh : 
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy ? 
and your young men shall see visions, and your old 
men shall dream dreams : And on my servants, and 
on my hand-maidens, I will pour out in those days 
of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy." — Acts ii : 
16-18. Such was the prediction of the prophet as 
cited by the bold apostle ; and such, as follows, his 
application : " Therefore (the Messiah being raised 
from the dead, and now) being by the right hand 
of God exalted, and having received of the Father 
the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth 
this, which ye now see and hear." — ver. 33. From 
that time onward, the divine sanction was with- 
drawn from all the merely ceremonial observances 
of the Jewish worship : the approbation of heaven 
no longer beamed on the sons of Levi : " For the 
priesthood was changed," and consequently, " there 
was made of necessity a change also of the law." 
On the day that Moses ceased to rule, the scepter 
and the crown fell to Christ. At the very time the 
Mosaic economy was abolished, the Christian econ- 
omy was introduced. Now this took place A. D. 33. 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 187 

But the apostle Peter wrote his epistle about A. D. 
60. At this time, then, the old "heavens and 
earth" in the sense of Mosaic dispensation, had 
been superseded by the " new heavens and earth" 
in the sense of Christian dispensation, for the space 
of nearly an age : and therefore the apostle could 
not speak of the former as still in existence, nor of 
the latter as yet to be introduced. 

But it may be said that Jerusalem was not de- 
stroyed, nor the commonwealth of Israel entirely 
subverted, until about A. D. 70 ; and that therefore 
the "dissolution of the heavens and the earth by 
fire" refers to the final utter subversion of the 
Jewish state at that time. 

But I reply, If the apostle, in the passage before 
us, instituted a comparison between the two dis- 
pensations, the Mosaic and the Christian ; it should 
certainly be between them in the same moral or 
civil aspect. If he spake, figuratively, of the abro- 
gation of the Jewish economy as a political estab- 
lishment; then, also, he announced the establishment 
of Christianity as a political institution, which is 
false : " My kingdom," saith the Messiah, " is not 
of this world." If, then, the " new heavens and 
new earth," refer simply to the Christian economy, 
the language imports a purely spiritual institution. 
But if the apostle speaks of the Gospel dispensation 
in its spiritual aspect, with the seal and sanction 
of God upon it ; then, also, the Mosaic dispensa- 
tion, as superseded by this, must import that dis- 
pensation in its true and primitive character, with 
the seals and sanctions of Jehovah. If the former 



188 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

dispensation be referred to in its civil aspect; so 
also is the latter : but as this is not ; so neither is 
that. The correctness of this view is further con- 
firmed by the fact, that the apostle's whole discourse 
in his epistle, proceeds upon the supposition that 
the old heavens and earth will be destroyed by fire 
before the new heavens and new earth will be 
created. But now, it has been proved, and it is 
conceded, that the new order of things in the sense 
of Christian dispensation, was fully introduced on 
the day of Pentecost : it follows, then, that the 
previous order — "the heavens and the earth" — in 
the sense of Jewish dispensation, must have been 
dissolved at that time. As, then, the comparison 
of the apostle between the two dispensations, if 
made at all, must have been made between them 
as divinely sanctioned institutions; and as the 
change from the Mosaic dispensation to the Chris- 
tian, took place by the divine order on the day of 
Pentecost ; while yet the epistle of Peter was writ- 
ten long after : Therefore, it plainly follows, that 
the words of the apostle in reference to the " dis- 
solution of the world by fire," cannot be understood 
metaphorically, as referring to the dissolution of 
the Jewish economy; but that they must be inter- 
preted in their literal sense, as clearly teaching a 
future destruction of this material system. 

6. The wonderful transaction predicted, as is 
plain from the whole connection, is represented as 
a matter of universal interest. The epistle itself, 
as also the former one, is directed to all Christians 
in general: Thus, (1 Pet. i: 1,) " Peter, an apostle 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 189 

of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered through- 
out Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithy- 
nia." But that the apostle writes to Christians in 
general, without national distinction, is evident 
from the following address. — 2 Pet. i: 1 : — " Simon 
Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to 
them that have obtained like precious faith with 
us." Now, as the apostle is not writing to Jews in 
particular, but to all believers ; we should naturally 
expect such facts to be stated as would concern 
Christians in common, and the world at large. 
Such, accordingly, is the character of those high 
and fearful announcements embodied in the passage 
under consideration. % 

The apostle represents the conflagration as the 
period of destruction to all the wicked : " The 
heavens and the earth which are now, by the word 
(of God) are kept in store, reserved unto fire 
against the day of judgment and perdition of 
ungodly men." — 2 Pet. iii : 7. At present we do 
not say what, in particular, will be the nature of 
that "judgment" or of this " perdition : " but, very 
certainly at least, the judgment to be pronounced, 
whether final at the end of the world, or not ; and 
the perdition to be executed, whether temporal or 
eternal, — shall both, be extended to the wicked in 
general. This is demanded by the natural force of 
the language : the apostle makes no reserve as he 
should (and would) have done, had he spoken only 
of a portion of the wicked ; as a single city, a 
nation or the like. But this is confirmed to a cer- 
tainty by all the examples of perdition which the 



190 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

apostle produces : Thus, "God spared not the angels 
that sinned : " He punished them all. " He spared 
not the old world :" He brought in the flood upon 
all the ungodly. " He turned the cities of Sodom 
and Gomorrah into ashes : " thus he destroyed all 
the wicked. And from these examples the apostle 
deduces a general conclusion : " The Lord knoweth 
how to deliver the godly (of all nations) out of 
temptations, and to reserve the unjust (universally) 
unto the day of judgment to be punished." — 2 Pet. 
ii : 4-9. " The world that then was, being over- 
flowed with water, perished : But the heavens and 
the earth, now, are reserved unto fire, against the 
day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." 
The world once perished by water; the world shall 
again be destroyed by fire. Not only, then, from 
the natural import of the language used, but also, 
from all the examples of punishment adduced by 
the apostle, it is clearly proved that he could not 
mean the single city of Jerusalem, and the single 
nation of Israel ; but that he must have meant all 
the wicked. Therefore, the conflagration of the 
world, cannot import the dissolution of the Jewish 
commonwealth, but the destruction of that material 
system with which the wicked at present stand 
connected. 

To the same conclusion we are conducted by the 
solemn appeals which the apostle makes to his 
brethren of the dispersion, as grounded on the fact 
of the conflagration. He exhorts them to holiness : 
"Seeing then that all these things shall be dis- 
solved," — the heavens, and the earth, and all that 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 191 

they contain, — "what manner of persons ought ye 
to be in all holy conversation and godliness?" — 
2 Pet. iii : 12. Now, had the apostle spoken simply 
of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish 
commonwealth, we cannot perceive the force of 
the motive thence arising. The dissolution of the 
Jewish state could have but little bearing on the 
moral purity of the strangers scattered all over, 
and even around Asia Minor ; but the approaching 
and certain dissolution of this material system of 
"the heavens and the earth," might well be pre- 
sented in a masterly appeal as one of the most 
powerful motives to live a holy life, and thus be 
ever prepared for the final issue of things. The 
apostle further urges " those w^ho have obtained 
like precious faith with himself," to look forward 
to the great day with longing desire : " Looking 
for and lasting unto the coming of the day of God 

." — ver. 12. These expressions import earnest 

expectation, and warm and ardent anticipation. 
But how the Christian pilgrims in foreign lands 
should thus regard the impending ruin of the He- 
brew nation, we know not. If they were Jews, 
they would still feel a lively interest in the salva- 
tion and happiness of "their brethren, their kinsmen 
according to the flesh," as Paul did ; (Rom. ix: 3 ;) 
and if they were Gentiles, they might regard the 
doom of that once beloved, but now rejected nation, 
with comparative indifference : but, in neither case, 
as Christians or philanthropists, could they harbor 
any ardent and longing desires of the downfall of the 
Jewish nation. But with what propriety could the 



192 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

apostle urge this exercise in reference to the final 
dissolution of the world : for then, the earth, long 
the seat of sin and misery, shall be purified and 
built up anew : the saints shall be perfected in the 
likeness of Jesus : they shall be for ever separated 
from all wicked and unholy beings, and be formed 
into the purest and most blessed society, to enjoy 
the presence and the smiles of God and all holy 
beings for ever. The apostle immediately adds : 
" Nevertheless, (although this whole fabric be thus 
doomed to a total destruction, yet) we, according 
to his promise, look for new heavens and a new 
earth;" which, as we have seen, could not be 
affirmed in reference to the Gospel dispensation : 
because this had already been introduced ; and so 
ceased to be the object of future expectation. The 
apostle finally completes his direct appeal to his 
brethren, as immediately arising from the foregoing 
premises : "Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look 
for such things, be diligent that ye may be found 
of him in peace, without spot, and blameless." — 
ver. 14. The point in this address would be want- 
ing, had the apostle simply told the believers of the 
downfall and calamities of the Jews. Not so, if 
his theme had been the destruction of the world by 
fire. Then every word tells for itself, and speaks a 
meaning that cannot be misunderstood, and must 
be felt; thus: " Therefore, my beloved brethren, 
since it is so that ye certainly expect the total de- 
struction of these material heavens and this earth, 
and the complete dissolution of all their elements, 
by fire, at some future period ; see to it, that ye be 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 193 

not slothful, but diligent : set not your affections on 
a world soon to be laid in ruins : let your best and 
purest desires center in the new creation : be active 
and diligent in the cultivation of every moral, and 
every spiritual virtue ; that, thus adorned, ye may 
be without the least spot or vicious taint, and free 
from all blame, when your Lord shall finally come ; 
and in that great day be found at peace with your 
final Judge." 

From the fact, then, that the apostle represents 
the " dissolution of the heavens and the earth " as 
matter of universal interest; most alarming and 
terrible to all the wicked, and most glorious to all 
the saints; it therefore follows that he does not 
predict the destruction of the Jewish state, but the 
final conflagration. 

7. As still further corroborative : Such a dissolu- 
tion of the world by fire accords well w r ith the 
present existing order of nature. Every earthquake 
we feel ; every volcanic eruption ; every upheaving 
of the earth, whether on dry land, or in the sea : 
every such convulsion of nature, affords but another 
evidence of the existence of subterranean fire. 
And, very probably, all such commotions should be 
regarded as preludes to nature's final struggle : 
Because, the flame which is already kindled in the 
bowels of the earth, must still be producing its 
ravages, and carrying on its work of destruction. 
If there be sufficient fuel within the surface of the 
earth to feed the central fires, — as, for aught we 
know to the contrary, there may be — then, unless 
the flames be checked by some unknown power in 
17 



194 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISILMENT. 

nature, they must continue to rage, until they shall 
have changed, and thus consumed, the whole cen- 
tral regions of the earth. This final result seems 
as certain and natural as that a large body of 
combustible matter, fired at different points, would 
continue to waste under favorable circumstances, 
until it would be utterly consumed. And it should 
seem that the language of Peter in the passage 
before us, is such as naturally to convey the idea: 
" The present heaven and earth are (-ttBTjaavpiafiEvot) 
kept in store;" that is, "laid up in a treasury" — 
the treasury of God — there to be kept for some 
future use ; which (use) the apostle immediately 
explains thus: "reserved tr^ov^voi — kept, pre- 
served — unto fire against the day of judgment." — 
2 Pet. iii: 7. The original word as rendered "re- 
served" implies danger; and, applied to the earth, 
it is used with great propriety : for, considering, as 
is probable, the vast amount of subterranean fire, 
there is, according to the laws of nature, very great 
danger of the decomposition of the earth: but still 
it is reserved: it is safely kept amid the dangers 
arising from convulsive fires : it is divinely guarded 
and protected from every destructive agent : it is 
constantly preserved from its fiery dissolution before 
the time. Thus "the earth is reserved" — but for 
an important purpose : it is " reserved unto fire 
against the day of judgment;" which, I should 
think, might be more perspicuously rendered thus : 
"reserved for fire unto the clay of judgment:" 
the sense is, the earth, including the heavens, is 
preserved to be destroyed by fire at the day of 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 195 

judgment. It appears, then, pretty evident that the 
apostle, in his appeal against the " scoffers," not 
only charged them with ignorance of the Mosaic 
account of the Creation and the Deluge ; but also, 
impliedly, of the present existing order and laws of 
the natural world. Themselves naturalists, and 
proud of their high position, had never yet duly 
studied nature's great volume. This would have 
taught them, not only that as the earth had been de- 
stroyed once, so it might be again ; but also, aside 
from any such analogy, that it actually contains 
within itself the elements of its future destruction. 
Now, the vast amount of fire contained in the 
earth can be under the control of none but God. 
" The earth is His, and the fullness thereof." He 
moves and rules amid the elements. " Fire and 
storm obey His word." He called; and the floods, 
obedient, swept over the world, and changed the 
face of nature. Once more He will call; and the 
fires now slumbering beneath the surface of the 
earth, shall awake at His bidding, and be kindled 
into the general conflagration. The fires, long pent 
up within the earth, now broken loose from their 
confinement, and, with their wild flames spreading 
universal havoc, shall not only reduce to ashes all 
that is fair and grand upon the surface ; but, with 
their intense heat, they shall utterly dissolve the 
serial heavens, and all the elements of the heavens 
and the earth. Or, the dissolution of the atmos- 
phere by the electric fluid may be effected at the 
same time that the earth shall be destroyed by its 
own fires. 



196 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

Thus, deducing our conclusion from the known 
laws of nature, we should rather expect a future 
dissolution of the world ; the reason of which may 
be briefly stated thus : As we regard all pains and 
infirmities in the animal body, as so many symp- 
toms of decay, and evidences of a future dissolu- 
tion ; even so, all the convulsions of nature above 
adverted to, are equally convincing proofs that 
nature, in the more extended sense, is doomed to 
die — that this material system shall be dissolved 
by the agency of fire. 

8. Finally: The interpretation now confirmed — 
that of the literal and physical sense of language — 
is just such as all mankind would naturally give to 
the passage under consideration : because all were 
impressed with the idea of a future dissolution of 
this material system by the agency of fire. Jo- 
sephus says concerning the descendents of Seth, 
" That their inventions might not be lost before they 
were sufficiently known, upon Adam's prediction 
that the world was to be destroyed at one time by 
the force of fire, and at another time by the violence 
and quantity of water, they made two pillars ; the 
one of brick, the other of stone ; they inscribed 
their discoveries on them both ; that in case the 
pillar of brick should be destroyed by the flood, the 
pillar of stone might remain, and exhibit those dis- 
coveries to mankind." Whether such pillars were 
erected by the descendants of Seth, according to 
Josephus, or, according to others, by Sesostris, king 
of Egypt, is not so material; in either case they 
clearly illustrate the antiquity of the tradition, that 



ARGUMENT FTFTH. 197 

the world should be destroyed once by water, and 
again by fire. The Jews, Phoenicians, Egyptians, 
Grecians, Romans, Gauls, and Britons, believed 
that the globe was destined to be consumed in the 
flames. The ancient heathen sects of philoso- 
phy, — Pythagoreans, Platonists, Epicureans, Stoics, 
and Druids, — united in maintaining that, after a 
course of ages, this earth would be reduced to 
ashes. The great leading characters in the ancient 
philosophical and literary world — Sophocles, Lucan, 
Ovid, &c. — taught the same doctrine in reference 
to the fiery destiny of this sublunary system. Thus 
sings Ovid, 

Esse quoque in fatis reminiscitur, adfore tempus 
Quo mare, quo tellus correptaque regia coeli 
Ardeat ; et mundi moles operosa laboret. 

" Remembering in the fates, a time when fire 
Should to the battlements of heaven aspire, 
And all his blazing world above should burn, 
And all the inferior world to cinders turn." — Dryden. 

The doctrine of the conflagration was inculcated 
by philosophers, and sung by poets : it was found 
alike in the writings of the Sibyls, and the Scrip- 
tures of the Hebrews. 

The divine tradition was announced before the 
flood : it spread with the family of Noah : it was 
faithfully preserved from being lost at the confusion 
of tongues ; it went abroad with the dispersed of 
mankind at the division of the nations : and the 
inspired tradition was transmitted from father to 
son, in every line of descent, and throughout every 
generation. The universal tradition was, that the 



198 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

world had been destroyed once, not by fire, but by 
water ; for such is the Mosaic history : and that it 
will be destroyed again, not by water, as such is 
not the testimony of God : but by fire ; for thus 
runs the divine prediction. 

Now, such being the universal impression of 
mankind in reference to the final destiny of our 
globe, how would the apostle be understood by his 
readers ? Why, evidently, whether among Jews or 
Gentiles, according to the natural and literal sense 
of his language. Read by the " strangers of the 
dispersion," or by all the dwellers in Asia Minor, 
by the accomplished Grecian, by the ambitious hero 
of Rome, by the rude and uncultivated Gaul, by the 
far-off Briton, by the Oriental sage, by the wander- 
ing Arab, by the sable sons of Africa, by all the 
sons of Jacob — the twelve tribes scattered abroad, 
by barbarian, Scythian, bond or free, by the wise 
and the unwise ; by whomsoever read, and of what- 
ever nation, the language before us would be un- 
derstood in its literal sense, as explicitly teaching 
the final conflagration of the world ; and especially 
so, for the simple reason, that this natural construc- 
tion exactly accorded with the belief of all nations 
on the subject. 

But we are met with a very formidable objection, 
to which we must attend. It is maintained with 
much show of argument, that language as strong 
as that which Peter uses, is applied, both in the Old 
Testament, and in the New, to the dissolution of 
states and empires. The following are the principal 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 199 

passages urged : " For the stars of heaven, and the 
constellations thereof, shall not give their light: 
the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and 
the moon shall not cause her light to shine;" (Isa. 
xiii : 10;) which is a prediction of the downfall and 
desolation of Babylon. The destruction of Idumaea 
is thus predicted : " And all the host of heaven shall 
be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled to- 
gether as a scroll : and all their host shall fall down, 
as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling 
fig from the fig tree." — Isa. xxxiv : 4. The fate of 
Egypt is thus told : " I will cover the heaven, and 
make the stars thereof dark ; I will cover the sun 
with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. 
All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark 
over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the 
Lord God."— Ezek. xxxii : 7, 8. The fate of the 
Jewish nation at different times, including the 
destruction of Jerusalem and the invasion of all 
Judea, by the Assyrians, the Chaldeans, and the 
Romans, is thus variously foretold in dark and 
graphic colors : " The earth shall quake before 
them ; the heavens shall tremble : the sun and the 
moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw 
their shining." — Joel ii : 10. " And it shall come to 
pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will 
cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken 
the earth in the clear day." — Amos viii : 9. " And 
I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, 
blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall 
be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, 
before the great and the terrible day of the Lord 



200 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

come." — Joel ii : 30, 31, compared with Acts ii : 
19, 20. And finally, by our Lord : " Immediately 
after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be 
darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 
and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers 
of the heavens shall be shaken." — Matt, xxiv : 29. 
And the period of Pagan Rome was marked with 
equally gloomy lines, to show how total a change 
was to take place in the empire under Constantine 
the Great : " And the sun became black as sack- 
cloth of hair, and the moon became as blood \ and 
the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a 
fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is 
shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven de- 
parted as a scroll when it is rolled together." — 
Rev. vi: 12-14. Thus, then, it is maintained, 
that as the fatal revolutions of states and empires 
are delineated with bold metaphors, and in such 
language as Peter uses in the passage at issue; 
therefore his words also should be understood met- 
aphorically, as teaching the total subversion of 
the Jewish commonwealth. 

Such is the objection presented in full; but it is 
very deficient. Its whole strength rests upon a 
false basis. That which sustains the weight of the 
argument and gives it point, is not a fact : it is not 
a fact, that the words of Peter and those in the 
other passages adduced are substantially the same: 
they are not the same ; nor are they similar. This 
must be obvious to all. But to exemplify the mat- 
ter more clearly, let us present the words of Peter, 
compared with one of the other passages, thus : 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 201 

" The heavens (being on fire shall be dissolved, and) 
shall pass away with a great noise, and the ele- 
ments shall melt (and be dissolved) with fervent 
heat, the earth also, — and the works that are therein, 
shall be burned up."— "The sun shall be darkened, 
and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars 
shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heav- 
ens shall be shaken." — 2 Pet. iii: 10, 12, compared 
with Matt, xxiv : 29, &c. But to point out the dif- 
ference between the passage in Peter and the other 
passages more particularly, let us proceed to an 
accurate examination : 

1. In the passages which are adduced as parallel 
with the one in Peter, mention is made of the " sun," 
the " moon," the " stars," or the like, as the subjects 
of change ; of which the apostle says nothing. 

2. On the other hand, Peter specifies the " ele- 
ments," the " earth," and the " works that are 
therein," as destined to be changed ; on which, in 
the other passages, the inspired writers are silent. 

3. The very changes themselves which take place 
in these bodies respectively, are not of a correspond- 
ing nature : thus, while the sun, moon, and stars — 
all the bright lights of heaven — are represented as 
being darkened or extinguished, on the one hand; 
on the other, the heavens and the earth are lighted 
up with the bright flames of the conflagration : in 
the former case, God puts on His extinguisher; in 
the latter, He kindles the flame. According to the 
former representation, the "sun is darkened," the 
" moon is changed into blood," and the " stars fall : " 
but according to the latter, the " elements are 



202 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

dissolved," and the " earth, with all that it contains, 
is burned up." The obscuration of the celestial 
bodies, cannot, surely, be of similar import with the 
conflagration of this terrestrial system. Strange, 
that a distinction so strongly marked should be 
overlooked. 

4. The metaphors used in the scriptural passages 
presented as parallel with the one in Peter, are such 
as the prophets commonly employed to express 
fearful and fatal revolutions of states and empires. 
This is sufficiently obvious from the number of 
examples given. It was not intended by such lan- 
guage to announce any change in the celestial 
bodies: but the language is altogether symbolical. 
It was customary in the oriental countries, to re- 
present kings, queens, ministers of state, and gov- 
ernments, respectively, by the sun, the moon, the 
stars, and the heavens : and the darkening, or the 
falling, of these heavenly orbs, symbolized great 
and mighty changes on the earth ; such as the fall 
of monarchs, the wreck of empires, or the like. 
The prophets, then, in the passages produced, are 
to be understood according to the well known im- 
port of the symbol used : but as Peter uses not that 
symbol, so it does not appear that his meaning is 
the same. Indeed, rather, as the apostle's lan- 
guage — "the burning of the heavens and the earth, 
and all that they contain, and even the dissolution 
of the very elements themselves by the agency of 
fire" — was not employed by the prophets in the 
symbolical sense; so, neither should it be so under- 
stood in the present passage. 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 203 

5. We are conducted to the same conclusion from 
the necessity of the case. The language of the 
prophets in all those passages must necessarily be 
understood In the figurative sense. Thus, while, 
indeed, it is within the range of the Creator's power 
to change the sun into darkness, and the moon into 
blood ; still, from the character of the work, it is 
what no Christian philosopher can ever expect; 
and especially not, on the occasion of any revolu- 
tion on the earth, or even on that of the earth's 
final catastrophe. But, " the falling of the stars," 
literally interpreted, would seem to present a phy- 
sical impossibility. These vast bodies of light — 
of awful magnitude — perhaps the suns of other 
worlds — are represented as " falling to the earth.'' 
The language must be figurative. But of such 
necessity there is none, in Peter's description. He 
simply predicts what may take place, as we have 
seen, according to the known laws or the existing 
order of nature. True philosophy teaches that the 
atmosphere may be totally changed; that the earth 
may be reduced to ashes ; and that all the elements, 
or particles of matter of which this material world 
is composed, may be utterly dissolved : but not that 
the celestial bodies may be rolled together, and fall 
down to the earth as the falling leaf. 

6. Finally: The same is confirmed by the subject 
matter. Thus, in the places adverted to in the 
prophets, it is the " burden " of Babylon, of Idu- 
msea, or Egypt, that the ambassador of Jehovah 
denounces : or, he predicts the fall of Jerusalem, 
and the fate of Rome. It is in fulfillment of these 



204 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

predictions that the mighty revolutions take place 
in the ethereal world: the heavens are convolved; 
the sun is wrapped in darkness ; the moon reflects 
no light; and the stars are dislodged from the firm- 
ament: states and kingdoms are brought to con- 
fusion and wreck; monarchs are fallen, and mighty- 
chieftains are vanquished; ministers and nobles are 
deposed from their high and responsible stations; 
the change is total, and the destruction complete. 
Thus the prophets with respect to different periods, 
and different empires. Not so, the apostle Peter. 
There is nothing in the connection — certainly, 
nothing in the subject matter — to limit his words 
to any particular city or nation under heaven : but 
much to the contrary, as has already been noticed. 
No burden of Egypt, or of Tyre, is mentioned : the 
apostle threatens neither Jerusalem nor Rome. He 
addresses the strangers and sojourners on earth : 
his language is universal ; and his is the burden of 
the world, affecting alike all the generations of 
men: " The world was once destroyed by water; 
but once again the world shall be dissolved by fire." 
No sun is shrouded in darkness; no moon is 
changed into blood ; no star falls from heaven ; 
but whether any change takes place in the order 
of the celestial world, or not ; this terrestial system 
is entirely dissolved : the change is total, and the 
destruction complete. 

From all the reasons now given — each one suf- 
ficient in itself — the position is clearly illustrated, 
and conclusively proved, that the predictions ad- 
duced from the prophets are not of the same nature 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 205 

with that contained in Peter; and that if the former 
denounce the destinies of empires, the latter fore- 
tells the fate of the world. 

It only remains that we state what has been 
abundantly proved, namely : That from the nature 
of the "objection" urged by the " scoffers," an ob- 
jection to the " dissolution of this material world:" 
From the " antithesis " the apostle uses, between 
the " old world once destroyed by water," and the 
" present world to be dissolved by fire : " From the 
language with which the apostle describes the won- 
derful catastrophe, such as literally expresses the 
" general burning of the earth and the heavens" — 
From the nature and bliss of the New Creation 
which is immediately to succeed (the Old,) "wherein 
shall not be heard the voice of mourning:" From the 
date of this epistle of Peter., (A. D. 60,) compared 
with the time of the dissolution of the Mosaic 
dispensation and the introduction of the Christian, 
(A. D. 33 :) From the universal interest involved in 
the event predicted, an interest affecting alike the 
final destinies of all mankind, the righteous and the 
wicked: From the coincidence between the trans- 
action announced and the present existing order of 
nature in the material world, tending, as it is, to a 
dissolution by fire: From the tradition current among 
all nations that such a dissolution should take place 
at some future period, thereby disposing all men to 
understand the language in the literal sense : And, 
finally, From the apparently very guarded manner 
in which the apostle has expressed himself, avoiding 



206 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

everything of a symbolical nature in his description, 
as we have seen by comparing his language with 
that of the prophets when predicting the downfall 
of states : From each one of these reasons taken 
separately, but much more from them all combined, 
the conclusion follows irresistibly, that the apostle, 
in the passage before us, (2 Pet. iii : 7-12,) does 
not denounce the destruction of Jerusalem : he 
plainly predicts the dissolution of this material 
world by fire — the close of the present natural 
order of things — in connection with the final 
judgment. 

Now, on the day of the " world's dissolution " — 
the " day of judgment" — shall sentence be fully 
and finally executed upon the "fallen angels:" 
(2 Pet. ii : 4 j iii : 7 :) they shall then receive the full 
measure of their punishment. 

But punishment inflicted at that period, as has 
already been proved, will never end : Therefore the 
punishment of fallen angels will be eternal. 

3. The word used to qualify the duration of the 
punishment of sinning angels, proves that it will 
never end. The apostle Peter says simply that 
" God hath delivered them into chains of darkness : " 
but Jude declares, saying, " He hath reserved them 
in everlasting chains under darkness." They both 
denounce the fearful doom of fallen spirits : but 
while the former expresses its nature only, the 
latter, in addition, declares its endless duration. 

The original word tufooc, (aidios,) rendered "ever- 
lasting," imports endless duration. Donegan de- 
fines the word '-eternal, perpetual;" as a noun, 



ARGUMENT FIFTH, 207 

"eternity, perpetuity;" and in the adverbial form, 
"eternally, perpetually." This coincides with the 
definition given by Parkhurst : " Eternal, absolutely, 
without beginning or end: Eternal in a restrained 
sense, perpetual, without end." 

The word occurs in but one other place in the 
New Testament, namely, Rom. i: 20; and there 
the manner in which it is used strongly marks its 
meaning. The language of the apostle is, " For 
the invisible things of him (God) from the creation 
of the world are clearly seen, being understood 
by the things that are made, even his (cuSto$) eter- 
nal power and Godhead." The apostle repre- 
sents the Deity in the awful grandeur of His own 
essential attributes, as feebly developed in His 
works. Jehovah is clothed with creation; and as 
He walks forth in the majesty of His providential 
deeds, His uncreated glory becomes in a manner 
visible to frail mortals : " The eternal power and 
Godhead are seen." Now let the original term in 
question have the force of the English word by 
which it is rendered, and the apostle's representa- 
tion of the Uncreated One, Himself creating all, 
will be such as we would expect : it will appear 
great, and grand, and worthy of God : it will accord 
with the whole connection, and be in harmony with 
all other descriptions of our Creator. Not so, should 
the original word before us express anything less 
than absolute eternal duration. As used, then, in 
the epistle to the Romans, the term properly signi- 
fies without beginning or end. Now the same word 
applied to what had a beginning, would naturally 



208 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

signify without end : even as our own word eternal, 
when applied to God, imports eternity, in the fullest 
sense, both past and future : but, used in reference 
to angels and other created intelligences, it simply 
denotes future duration without end. 

The etymology of the word may also afford us 
some aid in determining its signification. It is 
compounded of the two primitives, aft, (aei,) and 
Stos, (dios.) The former signifies ever, always, and 
the like. It seems to refer to the (nature, attri- 
butes, or) invariable custom of that (person or 
thing) to which it is applied. This may be illus- 
trated by adverting to a number of places in which 
it is found in the New Testament, as follows : 
" And the multitude crying aloud, began to desire 
him to do as he had (a*t) ever done unto them." — 
Mark xv : 8. In this passage the word imports 
that it had been the invariable custom of our Lord 
on important occasions, to perform miraculous 
works. "Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in 
heart and ears, ye do (asu) always resist the Holy 
Ghost : as your fathers did, so do ye." — Acts vii : 51 . 
Stephen, in preferring this bold charge against the 
Israelites, pressed it home, and declared it charac- 
teristic of them to " resist the Holy Spirit." " Ye 
resist" perpetually, "even as your fathers did." 
" For we which live are (a^) always delivered unto 
death for Jesus' sake." — 2 Cor. iv : 11. In this pas- 
sage, the word has the sense of navtots, (pantote,) in 
the preceding verse, where also it is rendered " al- 
ways." The full import of this latter word may be 
learned from 1 Thess. iv: 17, " So shall we (navtots, 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 209 

pantote,) ever be with the Lord : " that is, after the 
resurrection, we shall enjoy His presence for ever. 
" As sorrowful, yet (a?t,) always rejoicing ; " (2 Cor. 
vi: 10;) having joy in the midst of sorrow — joy 
without end. u Wherefore I will not be negligent 
to put you (ate) always in remembrance of these 
things : " (2 Pet. i : 12 :) that is, it was an invariable 
rule with the apostle to remind his brethren of their 
duties and obligations. Thus the word, by imply- 
ing the nature and attributes of things, forcibly 
expresses the idea of unending (or long continued) 
duration. Accordingly, it is translated into Latin 
by the word semper, (always, for ever;) into French 
by toujours, (ever, continually;) into German by 
allegeit, (always ;) and into English by the terms 
always and ever. 

The other word, hioi, (dios,) was originally used 
as the genitive case of Zsvt, (Zeus,) the name of 
Jupiter: but, in process of time, it was made to 
perform the office of an adjective; and so, accord- 
ing to its etymology, it signified divine, godlike, 
supernatural, vast, and the like. 

We have now briefly traced the meaning of each 
of the two primitive terms, (a^, and 5«>$,) from which 
is derived the compound atScos, (aidios :) and as the 
former of these primitives signifies ever, and the 
latter divine, supernatural, and the like ; it follows 
that the two combined must, according to the true 
principles of philology, signify ever in a divine 
and supernatural sense, ever as God : the com- 
pound word must express a period continued on in 

an unending duration, beyond nature, bevond time 
18 



210 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

and sense. And as the Greeks believed that God 
(or Jupiter) is exalted above nature, and continues 
for ever; it therefore follows logically that the 
present word (ai$io$, aidios, ever as God,) must 
strictly and forcibly express the sense of endless 
duration. Such is the etymology of the word 
before us, and such its high import- — the eternal 
endurance of God. But this word is applied to 
" those chains of darkness with which the fallen 
angels are bound" — those hopeless miseries with 
which they are punished. 

Thus, then, the proposition before us is fairly 
proved, That the angels that sinned are sentenced 
to suffer everlasting punishment : From the place 
into which the fallen angels were cast, Tartaros, 
the torments of which were to last for ever: From 
the period when they shall receive their punishment 
in full, "the day of judgment" — at the conflagra- 
tion of this material system — beyond which is no 
hope of reprieve : From the word used to qualify 
the duration of their misery, (atSroj, aidios,) the 
natural import of w T hich is, eternal as God : From 
each of these positions, the inference is sufficiently 
obvious : but from all the premises combined, the 
conclusion becomes certain — it is legibly written 
by the hand of God — that the woe and gloom of 
sinning angels will never end. 

2d. The angels, thus sentenced to eternal pun- 
ishment, are presented as an example of suffering 
to the wicked. 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 211 

The apostle declares that the "judgment of 
seducers, even now, lingereth not, and their dam- 
nation slumbereth not." — 2 Pet. ii : 3. He then 
proceeds to exemplify the grand principle, that 
vice shall be followed with due punishment ; pre- 
senting the doom of fallen spirits, (ver. 4,) the 
destruction of the old world, (ver. 5,) and the 
overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, (ver. 6,) as 
examples ; and then he makes a pointed applica- 
tion to the wicked.— ver. 9. 

Jude is equally explicit in holding up to view 
the apostate spirits as examples of punishment to 
unrepenting sinners. According to him, the " un- 
godly were of old ordained" (designated, pointed 
out, or described, beforehand, in the Old Testament 
Scriptures, as persons whose names were posted 
up, and in demand for trial ; thus " ordained," lite- 
rally, before described, and, impliedly, appointed,) 
" to condemnation." — ver. 4. This great fact in 
the economy of God is next exemplified in the fall 
of the Israelites who sinned in the wilderness ; 
(ver. 5 :) in the endless torment of once holy, but 
now wicked, spirits, again presented ; (ver. 6 ;) 
and the eternal destruction of the Pentapolis by 
fire from heaven. — ver. 7. Of the latter especially 
he says, " Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the 

cities about them, , are set forth for 

an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal 
fire." The phrase, " even as," refers to the " an- 
gels" for the comparison. The sense may be pre- 
sented thus : " To illustrate by way of example 
the future and final doom of the wicked, the once 



212 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

blessed angels of light, are, for their rebellion, sen- 
tenced to interminable woe : Even as the inhabitants 
of Sodom and Gomorrah, being in like manner 
rebellious, were doomed to utter ruin ; and are now 
presented as an example of future and hopeless 
torment ; even ' the lake itself into which they were 
plunged, is now the well known and standing 
symbol of the lake which burneth with fire and 
brimstone,' in which the wicked ' shall be torment- 
ed for ever and ever.' " 

The proposition, then, is sufficiently proved, 
That the sinning angels, in their state of endless 
punishment, are held up as an example to the 
finally impenitent. 

But the fact, that fallen spirits, in suffering eter- 
nal punishment, are presented as an example to 
wicked men, proves that such persons also shall be 
doomed to like punishment — eternal — if they 
repent not: otherwise, the exhibition of such ex- 
amples would be but solemn mockery. 

But what is only implied, though justly and 
clearly, by His apostles, is plainly expressed by 
our Lord : The great King and Judge, in the final 
judgment, shall thus address the wicked, " Depart 
from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared 
for the devil and his angels." — Matt. xxv:41. 
The " angels" here, are doubtless the same with 
those in the passage at issue : the Ci devil " is their 
prince, their king, and leader : the " fire " symbol- 
izes the torment they are doomed to suffer in Tar- 
taros, the place of their confinement : and as this 
fire was " prepared" for the devil and his angels, 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 213 

it imports that the " angels," having first offended, 
were also first punished : the fire, primarily, was 
prepared for them. But other beings, in like man- 
ner offending, shall be in like manner punished: 
thus, sinners of Adam's apostate race, are doomed to 
suffer with the first transgressors. " Depart from me, 
ye cursed, into (the) everlasting fire, (the very same 
that was) prepared for the devil and his angels." 

It is evident, then, not only from fair inference 
but from plain expression, that the wicked in the 
future world will be tormented with fallen angels : 
their torments will be similar. 

Now it has been proved that fallen angels are 
sentenced to eternal punishment: That, in suf- 
fering this punishment, they are presented as an 
example to finally impenitent sinners : That the 
fact of their being made such an example is con- 
clusive evidence that such sinners themselves shall 
be sentenced to like punishment : That, in fact, 
aside from any such exemplification, the torments 
of the wicked in the future world will be substan- 
tially the same with those of fallen spirits : And 
therefore the ultimate conclusion necessarily fol- 
lows, That the future punishment of the finally 
impenitent will be eternal. 

But before dismissing the Argument altogether, 
we present the evidence in support of the doctrine 
of future and endless punishment, in another form, 
and in a more direct manner. 

In the preceding part of the Argument, we 



214 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

endeavored to prove the doctrine from the exempli- 
fication of fallen angels : we would now confirm 
the same doctrine from the fact, that the punishment 
will be inflicted upon the wicked on "the day of 
judgment. 5 ' 

Now, we have already proved that the "judg- 
ment" mentioned by the apostle, (2 Pet. ii: 4,) will 
be executed on the " day " of final retribution, (ver. 
9,) and at the " dissolution of the heavens and the 
earth by fire." — 2 Pet. iii : 7. 

But this dissolution, as we have also proved, will 
be realized only in the general conflagration — at 
the close of the present natural order of things. — 
2 Pet. iii: 4- 13. 

The judgment mentioned, therefore, as has been 
conclusively proved, will be executed at the final 
conflagration — earth's final period. 

Again : On this day of final decision at the close 
of the present natural order of things, the wicked 
shall be " punished."— 2 Pet. ii : 9. "The day of 
judgment" will be the day of the "perdition of 
ungodly men." — 2 Pet. iii : 7. On the day of final 
judgment, then, and at the conflagration of this 
material system — shall sentence of condemnation, 
in the most public and solemn manner, pass from 
the judgment-seat of the Great God upon fallen 
apostate angels, and wicked impenitent men ; and 
then shall the full measure of their punishment be 
inflicted upon them. 

But punishment inflicted at that period, as we 
have seen, will never end. The judgment of that 
day will be final. 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 215 

Therefore the conclusion seems as clear and ob- 
vious as a voice from heaven could make it — That 
the future torments of the wicked will be eternal. 

It may not be amiss, before finally concluding 
the Argument, to notice a single objection. 

It has been urged as the last resort, that even if 
the " dissolution of the heavens and the earth by 
fire," be understood physically, as marking the close 
of the present natural order of things ; and the 
" judgment of the great day" refer to the final 
retribution of the righteous and the wicked, of angels 
and men ; and that the wicked shall then " be pun- 
ished ; " still, after all, their punishment will not be 
eternal : the " perdition of the ungodly " will consist 
in their total destruction by fire in the last day; and 
as the conflagration shall soon be quenched, so their 
punishment will be of short duration. 

The position assumed in this objection, is, That 
the bodies of the wicked shall be burned and de- 
stroyed in the fires of the general conflagration ; a 
position that is utterly untenable. 

1. The place of punishment appointed for the 
w T icked, is not this material world as dissolving in 
the flames of the conflagration; but Tartaros, the 
place and the prison of fallen spirits. Now, as we 
have before proved, wicked men will receive their 
portion with apostate angels. — Matt, xxv: 41, com- 
pared with Rev. xx : 10. According to the Greek 
mythology, atrocious offenders of the human race 
were doomed to be tormented in Tartaros with the 
Titans and Giants, fabled beings, who made war 



216 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

against the gods. Now the Scriptural representa- 
tion of facts perfectly accords with the classical 
sense and usage of the word. Not the Titans and 
Giants, in the Scriptural language, but "the angels 
that sinned," are cast down to " Tartaros ; " where 
the wicked shall be " punished with the devil and 
his angels." But Tartaros is a place now in ex- 
istence : " The angels have (already) been cast into 
Tartaros ; and are (now) reserved in its chains of 
darkness : " but the conflagration is still future. 

2. The wicked in general, as has been proved, 
are represented as being " reserved unto the day 
of judgment to be punished:" (2 Pet. ii : 9 :) but, 
according to the objection, the perdition will be 
inflicted upon those only who shall be living upon 
the earth at time of the Second Advent. 

3. The objection proceeds upon the supposition, 
that the body only will be punished, as this only 
can feel the material flames of the conflagration : 
but fallen angels, who are spirits, will receive their 
full punishment on that day, which punishment, 
adapted to their own nature, must be spiritual: 
and therefore, also the punishment of wicked men, 
being identical with that of fallen spirits, must in 
like manner be spiritual. Besides, as we have 
elsewhere proved, Jehovah will, on that final day, 
" destroy both soul and body in Gehenna ; " (the 
same as Tartaros, or Hell:) which cannot be, if the 
material fire be the only (subordinate) agent of 
destruction to be employed. 

4. Finally: The total silence of the inspired 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 217 

penman as touching this matter, should settle the 
question. The apostle specifies in this connection, 
as doomed to destruction, the " heavens," the " ele- 
ments," the " earth," and the "works therein" — all 
to be dissolved by fire. Why did he not also men- 
tion man ? This is the proper place for him to have 
denounced such a destiny. But no. The inspired 
writer predicts, it is true, the "perdition of the 
ungodly" to be inflicted at the period of which we 
speak ; but then, as has been amply proved, it will 
be such a perdition as shall be executed on apostate 
spirits. But why, w r e again inquire, did he not also 
mention man as a material being, and the lord of 
this lower creation, as doomed to fall in the great 
catastrophe ? For the simple reason, that his being 
will be preserved from the general wreck. The 
world was created for man ; and he is ever repre- 
sented as its subordinate head and ruler : and if 
now the world is to be destroyed for the purpose 
of constituting a great funeral pile for the wicked, 
it is passing strange that the sacred writer should 
give so accurate a description of the whole burning, 
without dropping the least hint of the victim for 
which the flames are kindled. He well knew that 
man is destined to survive the world's catas- 
trophe, — the general and total wreck of this 
material system. But rising unhurt from the 
wide- spread rain, the wicked shall meet a more 
dreadful doom — to be banished and anathema- 
tized with apostate and doomed spirits, to the dark 
world of woe. 



19 



218 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

In the premises of the objection there is nothing 
unfavorable to our proposition; but when fairly 
investigated, much to corroborate the foregoing 
Argument. 

This is an age of dernier resorts. 



ARGUMENT SIXTH. 



THE MOST APPROPRIATE AND FORCIBLE TERMS AND PHRASES IN 
THE GREEK LANGUAGE EXPRESSIVE OF ENDLESS DURATION, 
APPLIED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT TO THE FUTURE MISERY 
OF THE WICKED. 

This Argument is founded on the strict grammatical 
sense and application of the Greek word ollu>v, (aion,) 
(including its reduplication,) and its derivative auovtos, 
(aionios,) especially as developed in the New Testament. 

The sense of ac^ (aion,) when used in reference to the 
world, or to import any particular state or period of 
existence, as, " this world and the world to come," we 
have already examined in a preceding Argument. That 
was the accommodated sense ; and as such, it denoted the 
world, or the like, as continuing throughout a complete 
period. But we now examine the same word according 
to its primary and literal signification. 

In conducting the present Argument, we shall first 
examine the sense of the words before us, anov, (a^j/toj,) as 
learned from different sources ; and then trace their specific 
sense and application, as deduced from the New Testament. 

First. The sense of aumv and anovto*, (aion and 
aionios,) as learned from different sources. 

That these words strictly signify endless duration 
is obvious for the following reasons : 

1st. Their etymology leads to this conclusion. 
A«av, (aion,) is compounded of a«?t, (aei,) and »*>, (on.) 
Of the former of these primitives, we have already 



220 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

treated under the word oi$to$, (aidios.) As was 
shown in that place, it refers to the nature and 
character of things, and thereby denotes very for- 
cibly, general and invariable customs : and it is 
with great propriety rendered by the English terms 
ever and always. 

It remains that we attend to the import of the 
latter word, w*, (on.) This is the present participle 
of the neuter verb sipi, (eimi,) to be, and it literally 
signifies being. It is used sometimes in a limited, 
sometimes in an unlimited sense. The word in 
Greek signifying to be, — as also the corresponding 
ones in the Hebrew, English, and other languages, — 
is variously modified by circumstances, events, or 
accidents; and thereby limited in its application to 
the past, the present, or the future. But when used 
without any reference to particular changes or pe- 
riods, it becomes absolute ; and then it imports 
continued or absolute existence. But let us exem- 
plify the matter : According to the former (limited) 
sense, we say that God in the beginning created 
the world; that now He rules the earth; and that, 
in the last day, He will judge the quick and dead. 
Thus, by the grand events and periods of Creation, 
Providence, and the Judgment, the verb refers to 
the past, the present, or the future. But, on the 
other hand, in all the examples now given, we use 
the present only, if we have reference to the nature 
and attributes of God; thus, He is our Creator: 
He is our preserver : He is our Judge. In this 
sense, too, our Lord is to be understood when He 
says, "Before Abraham was, I am." — John iii : 58. 



ARGUMENT SIXTH. 221 

The sense is, My existence is absolute, even from 
eternity; and, consequently, from a date infinitely 
before that of Abraham. And the apostle saith of 
the Son of God : " By Him were all things created," 
thus using the past tense when speaking of His 
creative acts ; but referring to His absolute ex- 
istence, he immediately adds, " And He is before 
all things." — Col. i: 16, 17. And, to further con- 
firm the correctness of this view, that most awfully 
expressive name, JEHOVAH, given to the God of 
Israel, is derived from the Hebrew word rqn, (havah,) 
signifying to be, and to subsist. That incommuni- 
cable name imports, The Being essentially and ab- 
solutely existing; which necessarily involves the 
idea of never-beginning, never-ending existence — ■ 
the interminable endurance of the Infinite Jehovah. 
Also, Kvptos, (Kurios,) Lord, by which the name Je- 
hovah is generally rendered in the Septaugint, "may 
not improperly be derived, according to Parkhurst, 
from *i>pw, (kuro,) to be, exist, subsist." And Plato 
calls the Supreme God I w*, (ho on,) emphatically, 
The Being, the self-existent One. For some further 
remarks on the natural force of the present tense 
when not limited by time and circumstances,, we 
must refer the reader to our Third Argument. The 
tap, (on,) being, then, when not thus limited, must, 
consequently, be understood in the absolute sense ; 
and then it must necessarily import unlimited ex- 
istence. I would just further remark, that when 
(wv,) being, is connected with (a**,) ever, it must be 
understood in the absolute sense because of such 
connection. 



222 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

Now then, if the (a^,) ever, be understood as im- 
plying the nature and attributes of things, and (w,) 
being, be used in the sense of existence absolute ; 
then, the two words combined in the compound 
(cuwv,) ever-being, must forcibly express the idea of 
unending existence. Because, if (act,) ever, were 
so applied as not to be limited to any particular 
period, it would express eternity ; but (wi/,) being, 
with which it stands connected, is not limited in 
sense, nor confined to any particular period : Be- 
cause, also, if (cop,) being, were used in application 
to what is not confined in sense, it would import 
existence unlimited ; but this word, in its present 
connection, is no more limited than the former. 
Then it follows that either (asv,) ever, or (wv,) being, 
taken separately, and not limited to any particular 
time, expresses an unending period ; the former, 
more accurately, perpetual duration, and the latter, 
absolute existence. But now, these two primitive 
words, possessing, separately, such powers as we 
have already traced, are united in one, and those 
powers are concentrated. The compound word 
chwi;, (aion,) (including, also, its derivative acwvtoj, 
aionios,) literally, ever being, must, then, according 
to its etymology and the true philosophy of lan- 
guage, express, in the most intensive manner, the 
sense of endless duration : it can import nothing 
less than absolute eternal existence. 

2d. The testimony of Aristotle to the same effect 
should be acknowledged conclusive evidence in the 
case. That great philosopher who flourished nearly 
four centuries before the Christian era, was as 



ARGUMENT SIXTH. 223 

accurate in his philological criticisms, as he was 
correct in dialectics. In the passage to which we 
refer, he is describing the residence of the gods in 
the highest heavens. Concerning this he says, " It 
therefore is evident that there is neither place, nor 
vacuum, nor time beyond. Wherefore the things 
there are not by nature adapted to exist in place ; 
nor does time make them grow old : neither under 
the highest heavens is there any change of any one 
of these things, they being placed beyond it ; but 
unchangeable and passionless, having the best, even 
the self-sufficient life, they continue through all 
(aiona,) eternity. For indeed the word itself, ac- 
cording to the ancients, divinely expressed this. 
For the period which comprehends the time of every 
one's life, beyond which, according to nature, no- 
thing exists, is called his (aion) eternity. And for 
the same reason also, the period of the whole 
heaven, even the infinite time of all things, and 
the period comprehending that infinity, is (aion,) 
eternity ; deriving its name from (aei einai,) always 
being, immortal and divine. Whence also it is ap- 
plied to other things, to some indeed (akribesteron,) 
accurately, but to others (amauroteron,) in the lax 
signification of (to einai te kai zen,) being and even 
life." — Aristotle De Coelo, Lib. 1, cap. 9. 

We remarked under the etymology of the words 
before us, that ami/, (aion,) is derived from aft, (aei,) 
ever, and wr, (on,) being, literally, ever-being ; with 
which, in sense, (though not in sound,) agrees the 
philosopher, a f c f ^at, (aei einai,) literally, ever (or 
always) to be ; giving the infinitive mode of the 



224 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

verb, instead of the present participle. And as 
his etymology is not, literally, so easily traced, it 
seems quite probable that the acute critic had his 
eye on that unlimited sense which the infinitive is 
used to express ; and the rather so, as he applies 
the compound word to such duration or period as 
is infinite. The sense of never-ending existence, 
as learned from the Grecian sage, is too plain to 
be disputed. 

Now did Aristotle himself understand the mean- 
ing of the w r ord ? It were folly to pretend he did 
not, having explored, as he did, all branches of 
Grecian literature. Of his capability, then, there 
is no question ; and if, in this case, we doubt his 
veracity, we should, to be consistent, reject the tes- 
timony of all "the ancients." We have, then, the 
strongest and most direct evidence from this cele- 
brated philosopher and critic, that the Greek words 
which we are now examining, properly import 
eternity. 

It is needless to object that uhjvj (aion,) some- 
times occurs in classical usage in the sense of lim- 
ited duration ; for this Aristotle admits. He says, 
it is " sometimes used inaccurately, (amauroteron,)" 
that is, more loosely, in the dim and shadowy sense, 
as after the manner of the English words eternal 
and endless. But this he considers no valid objec- 
tion to the literal and established signification of 
the word : because, when used in the "lax signi- 
fication of being, life," or the like, but a portion of 
the meaning is expressed, the (a^,) ever, being 
silent; and the full sense remains — endless being. 



ARGUMENT SIXTH. 225 

This word, according to him, then, " divinely ex- 
presses the vast duration of the unchangeable and 
passionless things of heaven, beyond all change." 
It imports the fall " period of every man's life," 
both here and in the future world, " beyond which, 
according to nature, nothing exists : " It compre- 
hends the boundless " period of the whole hea- 
ven " — that duration which is infinite : It is, ac- 
cording to that philosopher, " infinity " itself applied 
to duration — infinite endurance. Such, as pre- 
sented by one of the most finished scholars of 
antiquity, is the comprehension and all-absorbing 
significance of the word before us : such is its 
" accurate " sense. 

3d. The same sense we should naturally deduce 
from the fact, that other words compounded with 
aei, (aei,) ever, uniformly import perpetual duration. 
We present a few examples to illustrate the prin- 
ciple : — AEtjtyvfifr aeibruts, (from a^, aei, and fipvco, 
bruo, to bloom,) ever-blooming, as in the verdure of 
perpetual spring: — Anysisaia, aeigenesia, (cue, and 
jLvo/xao, ginomai, to be or to exist,) perpetual exist- 
ence : — Asobovua, aeidoulia, (au and 8ov%sia, douleia, 
slavery,) perpetual slavery, was servitude from 
which the individual, or the nation, could never 
expect to be delivered: — Atm&pfeveu aeiparthenos, 
(aso and TtapOsvos, parthenos, a virgin,) always a vir- 
gin, imported perpetual virginity : — Au^ca, aeizoia, 
(aco and fco*7, zoe, life,) eternal life, or eternity itself; 
and also awf*^, aeizoos, literally, always living, ev- 
erlasting : — AmSios, or, as contracted, cmScoj, (aidios,) 
which, as we have already seen under the preceding 



226 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

Argument, signifies ever as God — the eternal du- 
ration of God: (Asuor, or mm, aion,) perpetual 
existence : and aaovto^ (aionios,) perpetually exist- 
ing. Thus, the word (a£t) ever, when used in com- 
position, gives the sense of perpetuity. Applied, 
then, to simple existence or being, it must denote a 
period that will never end. This investigation, 
which might be much further pursued, fairly estab- 
lishes the sense of absolute unending existence. 

4th. The manner in which these words are used 
in the Septuagint, clearly determines their mean- 
ing. I present a few examples under different 
constructions. 

Asiuv, (aion,) in the simple form of construction, 
and governed by the preposition st^ eis, (or w$, eos,) 
signifies, as it is commonly rendered, for ever : Thus, 
" The Lord shall endure sis tov cua,m, (eis ton aiona,) 
for ever." — Psal. ix : 7. None will question Jeho- 
vah's endurance through all eternity : but such is 
the significance of the word. " The expectation 
of the poor shall not perish ( £t $ tov aiwo) for ever." — 
Psal. ix : 8. It may seem to fail for a long time; 
but not " for ever." " Thou shalt keep them, O 
Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation 
(xai £L$ ?ov cucova,) and for ever ; " (Psal. xii : 7;) or, 
rather, even for ever : that is, they shall be pre- 
served unto eternal life. " Save thy people, 

and lift them up zc?$ nv cuwo$, (eos tou aionos,) 

forever;" (Psa. xxviii : 9;) or, even to eternity: 
that is, blessing them with many privileges in the 
present life, He will " lift them up " in the final 
resurrection, and exalt them to endless felicity. 



ARGUMENT SIXTH. 22? 

" The Lord sitteth King (^ tov «*«**,) for ever." — 
PsaL xxix: 10. The above are a few only of the 
numerous examples that might be given to illus- 
trate the usage of the word. 

The same word in the reduplicate construction, 
as used in the Septuagint, intensively signifies du- 
ration without end. The following examples will 
suffice to illustrate : The Lord is King a h *<& oucom, 
xao sts -tov aicova tov auovo^ (eis ton aiona, kai eis ton 
aiona tou aionos,) for ever and ever," (Psal. x : 16,) 
as the English version ; but, literally, for ever, even 
for ever and ever. This example sustains the posi- 
tion, that the word in its simple construction has 
the sense of endless duration, but that in its redu- 
plicate form it expresses this idea with greater 
intensity : thus, " Jehovah is King for ever:" (but 
more forcibly expressed, during how long a period ?) 
" even for ever and ever : " not increasing the dura- 
tion just above signified, but expressing the same 
in a more intensive manner. u Thou gavest Him 
(the Messiah) length of days (#*$ auovu aicovos,) for ever 
and ever : " ( Psal. xxi : 4 :) through all eternity. 
" Thou hast made Him most blessed (si$ au*va cmvo$,) 
for ever and ever : " (ver. 6 :) the beatitude of 
Christ is eternal. " Thy throne, O God, is («$awova 
auovo$,) for ever and ever." — Psal. xlv : 6. Of infi- 
nite duration is the "throne" of the Divine Mes- 
siah. " Therefore the people shall praise Thee, O 

Messiah, (s ic, toy anova, xat ei$ Tfov accora tov outoyos,) for ever 

and ever," ( Psal. xlv: 17,) as in our version; though, 
literally, " for ever, even for ever and ever." The 
same as above, which see, on Psalm x : 16. Such, 



228 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

also, is the character of the following example : 

" This God is Our God (*&$ tov otcwva, xat &i$ top auava tov 

acco^o^,) for ever and ever;" ( Psal. xlviii : 14;) or 
rather, as it should be rendered, " for ever, even for 
ever and ever" — through the ever-revolving, never- 
ending periods of the infinite future. 

Still other examples might be given ; but the 
above, I presume, are sufficient. Eternity, in the 
most intensive manner, is the uniform meaning of 
the word as reduplicated in the Septuagint. 

Auovios, (aionios,) the adjective form, as used in 
the Septuagint, imports endless duration, and is 
properly rendered by our own words, eternal and 
everlasting. This we illustrate by a few examples : 
" Lift up your heads, O ye gates " of the celestial 
city; " and be ye lift up, ye aitivtoi, (aionioi,) ever- 
lasting doors" — the gates of heaven — "and the 
King of glory" — the mighty King Messiah, and 
Lord of the New Dispensation — " shall come in" — 
just now returned to his native heavens, from the 
sorrows of earth, and from conquering His ene- 
mies. — Psal. xxiv: 7, 9. "The righteous shall be 
in (aicovtov,) everlasting remembrance." — Psal. cxii: 6. 
" Lead me in the way (a&wwa,) everlasting." — Psal. 
cxxxix: 24. " I will make thee," saith Jehovah to 
Zion, " an (aiwj/to^,) eternal excellency." — Isa. lx : 15. 
The excellent beauty of the church, now seen but 
in part, shall appear most glorious through all fu- 
ture ages, throughout eternity. 

From the examples above given of the words 
under consideration, as found in the Septuagint, it 
must be plain to every unbiassed mind, that the 



ARGUMENT SIXTH. 229 

most prominent idea conveyed by them is that of 
eternal duration. It is true that in that version of 
the Hebrew Scriptures, they are sometimes used 
figuratively, excepting in the reduplicate form, in 
the same manner as the corresponding words are 
in other languages. But this does not in the least 
militate against the established meaning of the 
words : for then should the established meaning of 
almost all words be disproved. 

It is of importance to remark further, that the 
words we have now been examining, were consid- 
ered by the LXX as having the same general sig- 
nification with the Hebrew words dSi;% olam, zhtyh, 
leolam, and ijn vh)$h, leolam vaed. This is plain from 
the fact, that they translated the latter by the for- 
mer. But these Hebrew words, as w^e have already 
proved, express in different shades, and with various 
intensity, the sense of endless duration ; even as 
they are properly rendered by the English words 
eternal, everlasting, for ever, and for ever and ever. 
When the Hebrew words are used figuratively, the 
corresponding ones in Greek are also ; even as, in 
the same passages, there is the like figurative use 
made of the synonymous English terms. 

In connection with this it may also be remarked, 
that the celebrated critic and philologist, Aristotle, 
flourished just before the LXX made their version. 
At that time, then, the learned men of Israel ac- 
quainted with Grecian literature, must have under- 
stood the Greek words in question in the sense of 
unending duration : and the seventy-two distin- 
guished scholars of Judea, chosen to translate the 



230 DOCTRTNE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

Hebrew Scriptures into Greek at Alexandria, would 
understand those classical words according to the 
definition given by Aristotle, the prince of Grecian 
learning. 

The words in question, then, as we have learned 
at every point, very evidently, in the Septuagint, 
have the sense of endless duration. 

5th. The words before us are (among) the most ap- 
propriate ones in the Greek language to express the 
idea of duration without end : and this sense they 
convey more naturally and forcibly than any other 
word, unless we accept the nearly synonymous term 
cuScgj, (aidios.) There are other words which have 
this signification impliedly; but those under consid- 
eration possess it etymologically and naturally. 

Let us exemplify this important distinction as 
developed in the New Testament. Axata%vto$, (aka- 
talutos,) used once, (Heb. vii : 16,) strictly signifies 
indissoluble, though rendered "endless" in our ver- 
sion. A4>0apMa, (aphtharsia,) is found eight times; 
(Rom. ii : 7 ; 1 Cor. xv : 42, 50, 53, 54 ; Eph. vi : 24; 
2 Tim. i: 10; Tit. ii: 7,) and its proper import is, 
incorruptibility. In like manner, ai$&aptQ$, (aphthar- 
tos,) which occurs seven times, (Rom. i: 23; 1 Cor. 
ix : 25 ; xv: 52 ; 1 Tim. i : 7 ; 1 Pet. i : 4, 23 ; iii : 4,) 
signifies incorruptible. AQcwaua, (athanasia,) used 
three times, (1 Cor. xv: 53, 54; 1 Tim. vi : 16,) is 
properly rendered immortality. A^tspavto^ (aperan- 
tos,) occurring once, (1 Tim. i: 4.) signifies endless. 
Afiapavtos, (amarantos,) we also meet with but once, 
(1 Pet. i: 4,) and it means unfading — beautifully 
rendered in our version, " that fadeth not away." 



ARGUMENT SIXTH. 231 

Now all the Greek words just above mentioned 
imply, though they do not directly express, the sense 
of eternal duration. Thus,(axaTfa-Kvto^) indissoluble •, 
applied to the " life " of Jesus, implies that it is 
" endless ; " because what dissolves not, remains : 
and therefore it continues "for ever." (A^flaptoj and 
a$6ap<yta,) " incorruptible" and " incorruptibility," are 
applied both to spirit and matter ; to the former 
naturally, to the latter in the case of the resurrec- 
tion of the body, and to both, because of not ad- 
mitting a separation of parts. But if the spirit 
according to its nature, and the body in its final 
revivification, do not corrupt or admit decomposi- 
tion to take place, then they must remain eternally. 
(AOavaaca,) " immortality," applied also to both body 
and spirit, imports their total exemption from death: 
but what dies not, must continue to live through 
eternity. (Anspavto^.) " endless," is applied to " ge- 
nealogies," because the Jewish Rabbis, in those 
dark and unprofitable researches, 

" Found no end in wandering mazes lost." 

And finally, (apapavtos,) "unfading," is applied to 
the future "inheritance" of the saints, because its 
peerless beauty will ever continue : it " fadeth not 
away" — it blooms in its freshness for ever. Thus all 
the Greek words presented above, convey impliedly, 
the sense of endless duration, while yet such is not 
their natural signification. They express, not eterni- 
ty, strictly; but those attributes which imply eternity. 

This may be further illustrated from our own 
language. Thus, the English terms, incorruptible, 



232 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

indissoluble, immortal, unfading ; as also, indestruc- 
tible, imperishable, and such like words, express, 
distinctly, ideas different from those conveyed by 
the terms perpetual, everlasting, &c. The former 
words do not directly express duration at all — they 
express other attributes ; but they so express them 
as to very forcibly imply the additional sense of 
duration without end. Thus, to further simplify, 
we say, that the spiritual body will be incorruptible, 
that its union with the soul will be indissoluble, that 
then the life of both soul and body will be immor- 
tal, that the beauty of the celestial inheritance will 
be unfading, and that the future kingdom prepared 
for the saints will be imperishable; but that all 
these things now mentioned will be eternal. Dura- 
tion without end is implied by all the former words ; 
but it is directly expressed by the last. These re- 
marks tend to illustrate the distinction in sense and 
application between the corresponding Greek words. 
It plainly follows, then, that while other terms, im- 
pliedly, convey the sense of endless duration; at^v and 
tucoiao*, (aion and aionios,) eternity and eternal, express 
this meaning etymologically, literally, and directly. 
By the aid of the remarks now made, we can 
perceive the real character of the criticism, — that 
the Greek words signifying immortal, incorruptible, 
&c, are more truly expressive of endless duration 
than those which correspond with eternal and ever- 
lasting : a criticism utterly incorrect — for it involves 
the absurdity, that an idea, by being implied, may 
thereby be more fully and forcibly conveyed, than if 
it were directly expressed. In fact, if other words 



ARGUMENT SIXTH. 233 

imply eternity, much more do these express that 
meaning. And if these do not, then had the Greeks 
no word expressive of such a sense; which is absurd. 

We now turn our attention to those objections 
which have been urged against the established sig- 
nification of the words before us. The following- 
are the more prominent ones : 

1. It is objected that atwv, (aion,) is used in the 
plural number and in the reduplicate construction, 
which is not the case with the English word, eter- 
nity, and which could not be the case with the 
Greek term if it meant eternal duration ; because 
there is no such thing as multiplying eternities, or 
even adding to infinite endurance. 

Ans. Both the plural and the reduplicate denote 
intensity: when combined, they express even this 
intensity itself in the superlative degree. 

The plural number not unfrequently indicates 
supreme excellency. Thus, the Father, addressing 
His Son, saith, " Thy throne, O God, DW^elohim," 
literally, " Gods, is for ever and ever." — Psal. xlv: 7. 
While this expressive name of the deity, very prob- 
ably, is often used to denote plurality of persons • 
in the passage just quoted, the person of the Son 
only is intended. — Compare Heb. i: 8. To the 
Divine Son pertain infinite and eternal excellencies. 
Again, the apostle Peter, addressing the crucifiers 
of our Lord, and speaking of his being exalted to 
supreme dominion, says, "For David is not ascended 
into the heavens : but he saith himself, The Lord 

said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand." — 
20 



234 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

Acts ii: 34. Now heaven — the seat of the Divine 
majesty, and the abode of all holy and happy 
intelligences — is one. Yet, as is probable, to 
represent, intensively, its greatness and glory, its 
unbounded excellency, and the infinite variety of 
its beatitudes, it is called, " The Heavens." Thus 
the plural of the present word denotes intensity. 

The objection is equally inconclusive, as regards 
the reduplication of the word. The Hebrews used 
the phraseology i^i DV0,leolam vaed; the Greeks, 
ei$ tov$ aicovas -tcov ouwvcor, (eis tous aionas ton aionon ;) 
and now the English, for ever and ever; all con- 
veying the same idea, and expressing that idea 
with similar intensity. Now the English phrase- 
ology presents as real a reduplication as the Greek 
or the Hebrew; and yet the simple phrase, for ever, 
conveys as truly and as accurately the sense of 
unending duration, as any form of expression pos- 
sibly can. Now, if because the Greek word in 
question is reduplicated, it therefore follows that 
when used singly it means limited duration ; then, 
for the same reason, it also follows that as we 
use the reduplicate phraseology, for ever and ever, 
therefore the simple phrase, for ever, must also be 
understood in a limited sense. But, on the con- 
trary, the phrase last mentioned, as we have seen, 
does, accurately, import the sense of endless dura- 
tion ; and the reduplication simply adds intensity. 
Thus, too, the accurate sense of the Greek word in 
the simple structure, is that of eternity; and the 
reduplicate form does but express the same generic 
thought in a more intensive manner. 



ARGUMENT SIXTH. 235 

2. It has been maintained that the Greek word 
in question is used in construction with the pro- 
nouns, (Wo£, sxEwos, houtos, ekeinos,) this and that ; 
as, this aion and that aion, which is not the case 
with the English word eternity. 

Ans. It is readily conceded that the demonstra- 
tives just mentioned are not unfrequently used in 
construction with auov, (aion,) but they are never 
thus joined with this word, excepting when it has 
the general sense of world. 

The general signification of the word before us, 
(attor,) according to its etymology and its earliest 
usage, is that of existence absolute and eternal. It 
just expressed the full period of the Divine Entity. 
It whispered distinctly in the ears of mortals the 
infinite age of God — the all-absorbing period of 
absolute existence. It unfolded also the endurance 
of deathless spirits. It measured the vast period 
of man's immortality. It was just equal in signi- 
ficance to the infinite cycle of Jehovah's universe, 
that never-ending period comprehending within 
itself all other periods. Then, in process of time, 
it became gradually applied to that which continued 
through such a period ; more especially as in the 
Scriptures, to general systems and orders of things. 
Thus, it was used to signify the world — that which 
continues through a certain grand period. It is 
used for the future order of things in the world to 
come, which will remain through the unending 
period of all futurity. The Hebrew word (oSip, 
olam,) for eternity, was also sometimes used in the 
sense of world. This sense also comports well 



236 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

with the etymology of the Greek term. Thus, m*n 
(aei,) denotes ever, as we have seen ; and *m (on,) 
imports being, either absolute, as the Divine Es- 
sence, or general, as the system of the universe. 
Then, am wy, (aei on,) — the two primitives uncom- 
pounded — will signify ever being, or perpetually 
existing; and aaov, (aion,) — the qualifying adverb 
and the participle being compounded into one 
w r ord — will strictly mean everlasting being, or 
perpetual existence. And now, according as we 
give the greater prominence to the sense of ever, 
or to that of being, we have eternal duration, or 
the existing world. But the former and more gen- 
eral sense implies also the existence to be continued; 
even as this sense in like manner implies the vast 
duration — the existing universe of God, or any 
grand portion of it, continuing through the infinite 
period of eternity, or any grand and complete pe- 
riod. The secondary sense of the word, then, — the 
sense at least assumed in this objection, — is not 
the period of duration itself, but the system which 
remains through such a period. The sense of 
world is natural and easy. Now, according to the 
former sense, that is, w T hen the word imports dura- 
tion, the construction is a$ aaova, (eis aiona,) through 
eternity, or for ever; but, according to the latter 
sense, that of world, ai^v ov?o$, at^v sxswos, (aion 
houtos, aion ekeinos,) this world and that world. 
And the former phrase never signifies world; nor 
does either of the latter ones ever import duration. 
By these various constructions, then, we may easily 
decide in any given case whether the writer should 



ARGUMENT SIXTH. 237 

be understood with reference to duration, or to that 
which endures. 

Now, under an antecedent Argument, we have 
examined the word as it occurs in construction with 
these demonstrative pronouns, (as, this world, and 
that world,) and found that its general signification 
is that of world in general, though variously modi- 
fied ; but that it is never thus used in the sense of 
duration, either limited or eternal. 

3. It is objected that the words under considera- 
tion (cuwy and aiavios) are sometimes used in a lim- 
ited sense ; and therefore eternity cannot be their 
established signification. 

Ans. The premises of this objection are readily 
admitted ; but certainly, they have no connection 
with the conclusion. We have already remarked 
that Aristotle, .who in his definition of aion, gave 
it the sense of eternity, says also, that " it is some- 
times applied to other things (amauroteron) inac- 
curately," in the metaphorical sense. According 
to him, then, although, at that time, the word was 
received with the sense of endless duration, yet it 
was frequently used with other acceptations ; but 
these other and secondary meanings did not super- 
sede, or in the least affect its general and estab- 
lished signification. Besides, if the objection prove 
anything, it proves too much. If because atwv, 
(aion,) is sometimes used in a limited sense, there- 
fore it does not generally import endless duration ; 
then it follows, that because the words eternal, 
everlasting, and for ever, are sometimes restricted 
in their signification, therefore also they do not 



238 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

denote an unending period. But the words last 
mentioned do, strictly, express this meaning, not- 
withstanding the occasional restrictions to which 
they are subject Thus, though we speak of ever- 
lasting contentions, the eternal Alps, of defending 
a person's title for ever, and the like, and thus use 
these words in a limited sense ; yet, when no such 
restraint is laid, they strictly and literally import a 
duration that never ends. It follows, in like man- 
ner, that the occasional restrictions of the Greek 
words before us, do not in the least affect their 
general and established meaning. These remarks, 
however, are not applicable to auov, (aion,) in its 
reduplicate structure; because, in this form, the 
word, I believe, does not occur with a limited sense 
in all the Scriptures ; even as the reduplication in 
English — for ever and ever — - uniformly signifies 
endless duration. 

4. Under the head of Objections, we also notice 
a rule of interpretation which seems to have been 
invented for the sole purpose of nullifying the 
grammatical and established sense of the words 
under consideration. The rule is to this effect : 
" That where a word is used in relation to differ- 
ent things, the subject itself must determine the 
meaning of the word." 

Ans. But to this rule there are serious objections. 
It supposes that words which are " used in rela- 
tion to different things," have no proper meaning 
of their own; but words of this description are 
mere ciphers. It supposes further, that the very 
thing intended to be expressed could be understood 



ARGUMENT SIXTH. 239 

quite as well without the use of any given word, 
as with it: but such words — reduced even below 
ciphers — are certainly needless. Also, the rule as 
stated above, supersedes an established canon of 
philological criticism, the correctness of which is 
universally acknowledged, namely : " That a word 
must be taken in its literal sense, unless the con- 
text or otherwise imperiously demand a different 
meaning." This rule sufficiently provides for the 
various modifications of sense which may be traced 
in different words. And all men naturally proceed 
upon the principle now laid down, in the investi- 
gation of written documents, and in their inquiries 
after truth. In all such documents it is taken for 
granted by those who write, that the persons into 
whose hands the documents may fall, will readily 
understand the ideas intended to be conveyed : and 
they who read, accordingly will, with equal readi- 
ness, understand the subject treated, according to 
the literal and natural sense of the words, and 
not the words by the subject-matter; except, as I 
remarked before, to modify their meaning. 

But especially, in the momentous affair of man's 
eternal destiny, it were presumptuous in us to decide 
on the significance of language, or how the sense 
of words should (even) be modified. Jehovah, and 
He alone, knows the fates of those millions which 
He holds in His own hands. He only can open 
the wondrous volume in which is recorded the des- 
tiny of the whole universe, and read its awful lines 
to the trembling creation. We should hearken rev- 
erently to His high and dreadful announcements. 



240 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

for the information we need on the otherwise un 
known future. His is the supreme prerogative to 
determine, and His to say, what will be the future 
and eternal states of angels and men. Also, in 
His condescending regards, He has been pleased to 
employ various words in reference to the destiny 
of immortal beings — words which convey to our 
minds certain definite and specific ideas, — and 
which should never be understood in a sense dif- 
ferent from their natural and approved signification, 
without weighty reasons. These solemn declara- 
tions from the Throne of Heaven we should seek 
to understand in the most docile spirit of humility ; 
remembering that, as God has expressed His will 
in the language of men, so the language itself is 
used according to its natural sense. But for man to 
rise up in the pride of his self-conceit, and presume 
to determine the signification of words from the 
subject itself, when all our knowledge of that sub- 
ject depends upon the words employed ; — this 
to say the least, seems bold and daring. 

The rule of interpretation which we have now 
repudiated, would render all words uncertain, in- 
definite, or useless ; and every piece of composi- 
tion a labyrinth, the windings of which it would 
be impossible to trace. 

But, after all, suppose it were true, that from the 
subject-matter, we might not only modify, but de- 
termine, the sense of words ; still, the exercise of 
such power (or such a prerogative,) as the rule 
implies, would conduct us to no rational conclusion 
in reference to a final retribution. Because, while 



ARGUMENT SIXTH. 241 

one person, reasoning from the mercy and benev- 
olence of Jehovah, might infer the final felicity 
of all sentient beings; another, judging from his 
knowledge of the past, and taking a general and 
indiscriminate view of lapsed humanity, might con- 
sider the whole human race doomed to intermina- 
ble woe ; and still a third, giving sense to language 
according to his own views of moral fitness, but 
perceiving a difference between the righteous and 
the wicked, and observing the present unequal dis- 
tribution of suffering, might conclude that some 
will be fully saved at death, that others will suffer 
in the future world for ages and then be released, 
and that others still will be sentenced to endless 
torment. Thus every man would be at equal lib- 
erty to fix the signification of words, and, assuming 
Jehovah's prerogative, to decide on the future weal 
or woe of the whole intelligent creation. But let 
the sense of language be fixed and determined, 
and every word in the Sacred Text be received 
according to its literal and established meaning, 
unless the context or otherwise demand a modified 
sense ; and then we shall avoid much of that 
unhappy collision of sentiment. To repeat one 
of our standard rules : " The literal signification 
of words and phrases is not to be departed from, 
unless the context, connection, and general scope, 
imperiously demand it." 

5. It has been maintained that the words be- 
fore us, so far from expressing eternity, do not 
signify duration at all; — that they simply import 
spirituality. 
21 



242 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

Ans. This is the dernier resort. If the natural 
force of the words, when used in the sense of dura- 
tion, prove that duration to be endless ; then, ac- 
cording to this objection, not only must the definite 
idea of eternity, but even the general sense of du- 
ration itself, be stricken out : it must be superseded 
by the sense of spirituality. 

But the position assumed in this definition is 
utterly untenable. It is contrary to the etymology 
of the words ; neither of their primatives (ate, wr,) 
in the least countenances the definition ; the for- 
mer importing ever, and the latter, being, whether 
natural or spiritual. It is entirely different from 
the one given to the word by Aristotle, that acute 
and able critic in language and learning — not the 
spirituality of man or the universe, but the infinite 
period of the whole heavens — eternity. The po- 
sition has no support from analogy, but is, from 
that source, entirely confuted : for, in not a single 
example, when a *t, (aei,) is compounded with other 
words, does it give the sense of spiritual, but uni- 
formly that of ever, perpetual. The definition 
which we repudiate is contrary to the general 
usage of the words as found in the Septuagint. 
In no case does the connection demand the sense 
of spirituality : but in many examples to render 
au^toj, (aionios,) by the term spiritual, would be 
even intolerable : it would be just equal to substi- 
tuting spiritual for eternal ; thus, " the everlasting 
mountains," so far from being spiritual, were nat- 
ural bodies. And finally, such a definition as is 
assumed in the objection, does not comport with 



ARGUMENT SIXTH. 243 

the structure of those phraseologies into which 
cuwi>, (aion,) is formed ; thus, " Jehovah shall endure 
ac$ tov aaova, (eis ton aiona,) " not to or into, through, 
or for, spirituality, but, to eternity, through all fu- 
turity, u for ever." The expression, " through spir- 
ituality," grates harshly on even an uneducated 
ear; but what shall we say, then, when the word 
occurs in the reduplicate structure ? Thus, " Jeho- 
vah is King ftj tov caw** tov auovos, (eis ton aiona tou 
aionos,) for ever and ever," literally ; but according 
to the novel sense, through spirituality of spirit- 
uality : the literal rendering, according to the new 
sense, is a sufficient refutation. The heart is pained 
at the bare recital of such absurdities. But the 
sense as rendered in our version, is in perfect har- 
mony with nature, with language, and with theol- 
ogy: "Jehovah shall endure forever" — " He shall 
be King for ever and ever" — through all eter- 
nity. I trust I shall be pardoned for having called 
the attention of the reader so lengthily to this last 
point. 

We have thus removed the most important ob- 
jections to the literal and established meaning of 
the words in question. 

Our proposition, then, is fairly proved: — From 
the etymology of the words under consideration, 
at t — wy, (aei — on,) ever-being, ever-lasting : — 
From the very lucid testimony of that great logi- 
cian and philologist, Aristotle, who defines cu^, 
(aion,) to be the infinite period of the whole heaven, 
beyond which nothing can exist : From the sense 



244 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

of perpetuity uniformly given to those words which 
are compounded with aa, (aei,) ever : From the 
general usage of the words in question as they 
occur in the Septuagint : And from their being 
among the strongest and most appropriate ones in 
the Greek language to express eternal duration : 
From these premises we come to the certain and 
undoubted conclusion, That the strict, the natural 
and general sense of these words is that of eternal 
endurance. 

Now, therefore, should either of the words be- 
fore us, in the Sacred Text, be even once applied 
to the future misery of the wicked, it would ren- 
der the doctrine of endless punishment, probable : 
Should the words be thus applied a number of 
times, the doctrine would become established : But, 
in addition, should onor, (aion,) in the reduplicate 
structure, thereby expressing the utmost intensive- 
ness, be also applied to such misery, and each word 
and phrase be thus employed under circumstances 
and in connections favorable to the sense of eter- 
nal endurance : then, according to all rational and 
acknowledged methods of investigation, we should 
feel ourselves bound to regard the doctrine of end- 
less punishment as a settled principle ; — demon- 
strated by the testimony of God, and entitled to 
our firm belief. 

But such, precisely, is the case. Aaov, (aion,) in 
different constructions, and iu^vios, (aionios,) are 
applied to the punishment of the wicked in the 
following places: Mark iii : 29; 2 Pet. ii : 17; 



ARGUMENT SIXTH. 245 

Jude xiii ; Matt, xviii : 8 ; Mark iii : 29 ; 2 Thess. 
i : 9 ; Heb. vi : 2 ; Jude vii ; Matt, xxv : 46 ; Rev. 
xiv : 11; xix : 3; xx : 10. It is here declared, as 
from Jehovah's throne, that the misery of the 
wicked — their "condemnation," their "darkness 
and gloom " — shall continue si$ tov anova, (eis ton 
aiona,) for ever : That their " fire," their " damna- 
tion" and "destruction," shall be auovio$, (aionios,) 
eternal : That their " punishment " shall thus con- 
tinue, as contrasted with the eternal bliss of the 
saints ; And, finally, using the very strongest phras- 
eology in the Greek language to express infinite 
endurance, it is denounced, That their " torment " 
shall continue u$ *&&$ (uwj>a$ iW«*tat>wv, (eis tous aionas 
ton aionon,) for ever and ever. 

The conclusion, therefore, seems irresistible and 
necessary, That the doctrine of future and endless 
punishment is taught in the Book of God. 

Such is the character of the General Argument; 
and from the conclusion just expressed, we see 
no possible method of evasion, according to any 
acknowledged law of philology? or on any fair 
principle of criticism. 

We shall now proceed to investigate the same 
Argument in a more particular manner, deducing 
our conclusions from New Testament usage : And, 
to be more perspicuous, we shall present the Argu- 
ment under different Heads or Divisions. 



FIRST DIVISION. 



"He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath 
never forgiveness." — Mark iii : 29. 

"These (false teachers and their apostate followers,) are 
wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest, to 
whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever." — 2 Pet. 
ii : 17. 

" Raging waves of the sea, (describing the same characters 
as above,) foaming out their own shame ; wandering stars, 
to whom is reserved the blacknessof darkness for ever." — 
Jude 13. 

In each of the passages now submitted, aw, 
(aion,) occurs in the simple construction : in the 
first it is connected with a negative : thus, ovx — et$ 
tov aium, (ouk — eis ton aiona,) literally, not — for 
ever, but more classically, and very forcibly ren- 
dered in one version, "never." (Indeed, the latter 
English term is but a contraction, virtually, of the 
former ones ; thus, not for ever, not ever, ne ever, 
never.) The blasphemer "hath never forgiveness." 
In the second passage it is s&g aaova, (eis aiona ;) and 
in the third, &$ tov auom, (eis ton aiona;) both justly 
rendered "for ever" — through eternity. In the 
same structure, though sometimes in the plural, 
tn tovs aiwas, (eis tous aionas,) it is frequently found 
in the New Testament. 

Now the word as thus used in the New Testament, 



248 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

uniformly signifies endless duration. In proof of 
this very important position, let us advert to the 
places in which the phrase occurs. 

We will first notice those passages which relate 
to the Deity : they are as follows : 

Rom. i : 25. — " Who, (namely, the ancient idola- 
tors,) worshiped and served the creature more than 
the Creator, who is blessed tt$ *ov$ atwyaj, (eis tous 
aionas,) for ever." 

Ibid, ix : 5. — "Of the fathers, as concerning the 
flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed 
(sis *ov$ auoms,) for ever. In the two passages now 
quoted, the word properly means eternity ; it being 
applied in the first to the eternal beatitude of the 
Father, and in the second, to that of the Son. 

Ibid, xi : 36. — " For of Him, (God,) and through 
Him, and to Him, are all things : to whom be 
glory (e*.s *ov$ aicovac,) for ever." 

Ibid, xvi : 27. — " To God only wise, be glory 
through Jesus Christ (sl$ nov$ aiwas,) for ever." In 
these doxologies, the apostle certainly ascribes 
endless glory to the Deity. 

2 Cor. xi: 31.— "The God and Father of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed (s i$ tov$ awovaj,) 
for ever more." The same as above — the endless 
beatitude of God. 

2 Pet. iii : 18.—" To Him, (namely, Jesus Christ,) 
be glory both now and e&$ faispav aiu>vo$, (eis hemeran 
aionos,) for ever," as our version ; but literally, in 
or through the day of eternity. The word, in such 
a construction, occurs not elsewhere in the New 
Testament. But the sense of endless duration is 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FIRST DIVISION. 249 

sufficiently prominent : Eternity, to the righteous, 
will be a day without end, one bright and cloudless 
day whose sun will never go down. 

The phrase is once used to express the perpe- 
tuity of the truth of God : 

1 Pet. i : 25.—" The word of the Lord endureth 
(fcs tov ottom,) for ever." But this divine " word," 
here contrasted with " the grass that withereth," 
must — like the throne of the Eternal, and in oppo- 
sition to whatever is false and perishable — continue 
for ever: Truth is eternal. — ver. 23. 

The word, moreover, is often applied to the life, 
state, or happiness of the righteous, as in the fol- 
lowing examples : 

John vi : 51. — " I am the living bread which came 
down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, 
he shall live (sl$ tov auova,) for ever." See also, and 
compare, ver. 58. In these two passages the sense 
of the word is fixed : in the first, by the nature of 
the thing; for the "bread" is the flesh of Christ, 
which, being given for the " life " of the world, 
secures a life that will "never" end: and in the 
second it is determined by the antithesis, which is 
instituted between the " Israelites who ate manna, 
and are dead ; and those who eat of the true bread, 
and live («$ tov aicova,) for ever." The former were 
subject to death; the latter are not. 

Ibid, viii : 51. — "If any man keep my sayings, 
he shall ov ^ — ec* tov au<n<a, (ou me — eis ton aiona,) 
never see death." See also, and compare ver. 52, 
where the same phraseology is used. This is a 
strong negative; and the sense is very obvious. 



250 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

From the fact, that Abraham was dead at the 
Incarnation, it seemed plain to the Jews that he 
did not live for ever : and as our Lord declared 
that his faithful servant should " never see death;" 
and then the Jews, as grounded on that statement, 
charged Him with imposture, it is very certain they 
must have attached to the word the sense of per- 
petuity : for, otherwise, their charge would be with- 
out point. But did our Lord use this word in the 
sense in which the Jews did ? Very certainly; for 
He spake to Jews, and they readily apprehended 
His meaning literally, though they did not trace 
the spiritual application. In this passage, then, it 
must be conceded that the expression imports the 
blessed immortality of the saints. 

Ibid, x : 28. — " And they (my sheep) shall (ov yq — 
&$ tov cucom,) never perish." How appropriate and 
and forcible, and withal, how cheering, according 
to the sense ascertained in the preceding quotation. 

Ibid, xi : 26. — " And whosoever liveth, and be- 
lieveth in me, shall {ov ^ — H$tm> cucom.) never die." 
But that the phrase in this passage expresses a 
duration beyond the present state of existence — 
a duration through eternity — is plain from what 
immediately precedes : " He that believeth in me," 
saith our Lord, " though he were dead, yet shall he 
live : " (ver. 25 :) his spirit shall survive the body, 
and ascend to a more blessed life : and then, as 
even death itself is no essential interruption to his 
inner life, — he " shall never die." 

2 Cor. ix: 9. — "He (the cheerful giver) hath 
dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor; his 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FIRST DIVISION. 251 

righteousness endureth (si$ ?ov <uwra,) for ever." Both 
the principle and the effects of his "righteousness" — 
true Christian charity — will continue for eternity. 

1 John ii : 17. — " And the world passeth away, 
and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of 
God abideth (s4r tov cuwva,) for ever." Here again, 
the antithesis evidently establishes the literal sense 
of the word. " The " present natural " world {xoa^o^ 
kosmos,) passeth away" — it is destined to be totally 
changed by the violence of fire — even this fair and 
beautiful world in its present form shall come to 
an end: not so, the faithful servant of God — " he 
abideth for ever" 

I here subjoin a number of promiscuous exam- 
ples, in all which, however, we may easily trace in 
the word before us the sense of absolute, unlimited 
duration; thus, as follows : 

Matt, xxi : 19. — When our Lord saw the barren 
fig tree, He said, " Let no fruit grow on thee hence- 
forth (sl$ tor cucoza,) for ever." " No man eat fruit of 
thee hereafter (k$ tov m,) for ever." — Mark xi: 14. 
Thus spake the Messiah ; and straight the barren 
fig tree withered and died : its leaves were scattered 
to the wind ; and its branches were committed to the 
flames. Never again shall fruit grow on that tree : 
never again shall the husbandmen pluck down its 
figs. A symbol, this, of most fearful import. 

Luke i: 33. — "And He (Jesus, the Son of the 
Highest,) shall reign over the house of Jacob (ei$ 
tovc, cucom?,) for ever." " The house of Jacob," here, 
denotes the church of Christ, called also, else- 
where, " His house;" and His "reign" over this is 



252 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

spiritual. Now the dominion of Christ over the 
hearts and minds of his people will be eternal. 
But that this is the sense is clearly demonstrated 
by what is immediately added : u And of his king- 
dom there shall be no end." 

Ibid, i : 54, 55. — " He hath holpen his servant 
Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, (as he spake 
to our fathers,) to Abraham, and to his seed (sl$ *qv 
cuco^a,) for ever." This passage, with a portion of 
it thus parenthesized, is free from the obscurity in 
which it would otherwise seem involved. The sense 
may be thus presented : " According to the promises 
which Jehovah spake to our fathers, He hath now 
helped His servant Israel in providing a Saviour; 
That He may remember His mercy effectually, in 
extending His gracious benefits to Abraham, and 
to His spiritual seed for ever." 

John iv : 14. — " Whosoever (saith the Messiah,) 
drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall 
(o-uu^— £cs tov aiuiva,) never thirst." The followers 
of Jesus, "led finally to living fountains of water, 
shall thirst no more." 

Ibid, viii : 35. — " And the servant abideth not in 
the house (**$ tm atwm,) for ever; but the Son abideth 
(u$ top aiww,) for ever." But the servant of sin 
might, professionally, remain in " the house of God, 
which is his church," during the whole period of 
his earthly existence ; and therefore the phrase in 
the first member of this passage, must express a 
duration beyond the limits of the present time, — 
into eternity. If the "Son," in the second member, 
denote the Messiah, then " He as a Son over His 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FIRST DIVISION. 253 

own house" abideth therein, not only during the 
reign of grace, but through the eternal reign of 
glory. Or, if, as others with reason suppose, the 
son mentioned be a believer in Christ, one " born 
of the Spirit," then, this child of God, being an heir 
of glory, shall continue in the house of God, not 
only, as here, in His earthly tabernacles, but here- 
after, in the heavenly temple for ever. 

Ibid, xii: 34. — When Jesus had intimated that 
he should die, " The people answered, We have 
heard out of the law that Christ abideth (zi$ tov a^a,) 
for ever : " thereby plainly manifesting their sense 
of the word, namely, that if Christ should die, he 
could not live for ever ; and, consequently, that it 
expresses, when applied to life as here, the sense 
of immortality — a perpetual exemption from death. 

Ibid, xiii: 8. — " Peter saith unto him, (Christ,) 
Thou shalt (ov ^ — m tov onww,) never wash my 
feet." Thus spake Peter in his native rashness ; 
but intending as he said, that such a thing should 
never take place : though, however, he was greatly 
mistaken. 

Ibid, xiv: 6. — "And I will pray the Father," 
saith Christ to His disciples, " and He shall give 
you another comforter, that he may abide with you 
(els *ov cuwva,) for ever." Notwithstanding the variety 
of opinions on the sense of this passage, the gen- 
eral idea suggested by the word is developed with 
sufficient perspicuity. Our Lord was now about 
to leave his disciples. The slightest hint of this 
filled the hearts of the latter with sorrow. They 
could not endure the thought of being bereft of 



254 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

such a friend, whose tenderness and forbearance to 
them had been unparalleled, and on whose kind 
and gracious instructions they had so often attended 
with gladness and rapture. Our Lord, therefore, 
now consoles them in view of His approaching 
bodily absence : as if He had said, " It is true, my 
friends, I am about to leave you: I shall be torn 
from the tenderest embraces of love and friendship. 
But I will not leave you comfortless : I will grant 
you everlasting consolation. I will send you the 
Spirit of all grace and truth. He shall be with you 
in life, to help your infirmities : in death, to sanctify 
you wholly, and ' receive you to glory : ' in the res- 
urrection, ' to quicken your mortal bodies : ' and in 
those subsequent periods which never end : Thus, 
' He shall abide with you for ever? [' The sense of 
the word even in this passage, is not necessarily 
limited (to the present life, or to the present world. 

1 Cor. viii : 13. — "Wherefore, (saith the apostle, 
stating the conclusion of all his reasoning on the 
use of meats offered to idols) if meat make my 
brother to offend, I will eat (ov ^ — bi$ tov cucova,) no 
flesh while the world standeth," as our version ; but, 
more literally, u I will never eat flesh ; " the con- 
struction being the same as in many of the foregoing 
examples. In the present passage, the apostle uses 
the phrase under consideration in the same manner, 
precisely, as an English scholar and philanthropist 
does the word never : thus, " If such an article 
offend my brother, I will never use it." The sense 
strikes home, and is so felt that it cannot be evaded. 

Heb. v: 6. — " The Lord sware (to His Son,) and 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FIRST DIVISION. 255 

will not repent, Thou art a priest («*$ rov a^ra,) for 
ever, after the order of Melchisedec." See also, 
vi: 20; vii: 17,21,24,28. In the priesthood of Christ 
are combined the ideas of suretiship, atonement, 
and mediation. As the " Surety of a better testa- 
ment," Christ having paid our debt for us, stands 
our substitute with the Father for ever. The atone- 
ment which He made, is abundantly sufficient to 
remove, effectually and finally, the guilt of those 
offences for which it was offered. Christ will also 
be the eternal medium of communication between 
a just and holy God, and all believers. Thus, the 
priesthood of Christ, both in its holy principle and 
its grand results, extends to all eternity. But fur- 
ther: That the apostle in the passages now referred 
to, uses the word before us in its strict sense of 
endless duration, is obvious from the fact, that he 
introduces it to prove that Christ possesses " the 
power of an {axata-hvuov, akatalutou,) indissoluble 
life," which certainly implies endless duration : 
(vii: 16, 17 :) and again, (ver. 24,) the word seems 
applied to the very existence of Christ, which con- 
firms the same sense. 

Ibid, xiii : 8. — " Jesus Christ the same yesterday, 
and to-day, and ( S i$ toi% atwmj,) for ever." The 
immutability of Christ is here plainly taught ; and, 
consequently, His proper eternity. He is ever the 
same — He is eternal, 

2 John 2. — "The truth — dwelleth in us, and 
shall be with us («&$ tov auora,) for ever;" partial- 
ly, in the present life — perfectly, in the life to 
come. 



256 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

(The following passage is thought to be of doubt- 
ful reading : u For thine is the kingdom, and the 
power, and the glory, ( £t j *ov$ a*,u&m,) for ever. 5 '- — 
Matt, vi: 13. But the sense is obvious.) 

We have now examined the phrase in question 
whereveritisused in the New Testament; and we 
are fairly conducted to the following conclusions : 
That it is never limited in sense to the present 
period of our existence: That it is generally used 
in precisely the same sense with the English phrase 
for ever, or, as when negatived, the term never: 
That it generally, if not always, expresses absolute 
duration : That frequently, associated with life, it is 
used to denote immortality : And that frequently, 
also, from its connection, it definitely imports dura- 
tion without end. Such, then, is the obvious and 
established signification of the phrase before us, as 
used in the New Testament: It is that of eternal 
endurance. 

But this very phrase is applied to the punishment 
of the wicked : " The blasphemer against the Holy 
Ghost hath (ovx — w tov aicova f ) never forgiveness :" 
and to the wicked, especially false teachers, as they 
are specified, " is reserved the mist of darkness," 
even " the blackness of darkness " — a thick, impen- 
etrable gloom of spirit — " (ns tov auova,) for ever." 

The conclusion is unavoidable. 

But especially, in the case of the bold " blas- 
phemer against the Holy Spirit," the connection 
imperiously demands the unlimited sense. — Mark 
iii: 29. The phraseology,"Hath never forgiveness," 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FIRST DIVISION. 257 

is in contrast with the foregoing statement : " All 
sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and 
blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blas- 
pheme." — ver. 28. But we have before proved 
that the future tense absolute, — the tense here 
used, — necessarily covers all futurity: "Other 
blasphemies shall be forgiven: But this against 
the Holy Ghost, never." Again : The expression 
before us has the same import with the following 
absolute denouncement : " The blasphemy against 
Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men;" (Matt, 
xiii: 31;) which must import an unlimited period, 
unless some special reason be shown to the con- 
trary. Moreover: The phraseology, "He hath 
never forgiveness," signifies the same with that 
most fearful threatening denounced in the parallel 
passage : " It shall not be forgiven him, neither in 
this world, neither in the world to come." — Matt, 
xii: 32. But the expressions here used, as we 
have fairly demonstrated in a preceding Argument, 
import nothing less than eternal endurance, both in 
the present and future periods of our existence. 
Finally : The present tense, " hath (never forgive- 
ness,") adds intensiveness : it intimates that such 
is the nature of this bold blasphemy, as not to 
admit of forgiveness. The sense may be presented 
thus : " He that shall blaspheme against the Holy 
Spirit, so completely ruins himself, and, as it were, 
seals his own final doom, that he can never have 
forgiveness." 

Every point of the connection in this passage 

tends to confirm the literal sense of the phrase 

22 



258 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

before us ; and, consequently, to establish the doc- 
trine of endless punishment. 

The same original word, occurring in a different 
construction, and with reference to past duration, 
is sometimes, in the New Testament, used in a 
sense variously modified and limited. Such is the 
case in a number of the following examples : " The 
Lord God of Israel — hath raised up an horn of 

salvation for us As he spake by the mouth of 

His holy prophets, which have been a*' cucoi>o$, (ap' 
aionos,) since the world began," as our version 
reads ; but the meaning is, " from the most ancient 
times." — Luke i : 70. " E* tov aiwos, (ek tou aionos,) 
since the world began" — from the beginning of 
the world — " was it not heard that any man opened 
the eyes of one that was born blind." — John ix : 32. 
The sense plainly is, " Such a thing was never 
heard." " Whom (Christ,) the heaven must receive 
until the times of restitution of all things, which 
God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy 
prophets (a*:' -atuwo;,) since the world began." — Acts 
iii: 21. The same as Luke i: 70, "from the most 
ancient times." " Known to God are all His works 
( art' atcwvoj, ) from the beginning of the world ; " 
(Acts xv: 18;) meaning, as is probable, in this place, 
" from eternity." "■ And to make all men see what 
is the fellowship of the mystery, which arto tm> 
aiu>vcav, (apo ton aionon,) from the beginning of the 
world" — from the ages of eternity — "hath been 
hid in God." — Eph. iii : 9. " According to TtpoOeaw 
tujv aiiov^v, (prothesin ton aionon,) the eternal pur- 
pose :" (ver. 11 :) the purpose formed in the Divine 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FIRST DIVISION. 259 

pose : " (ver. 11 :) the purpose formed in the Divine 
Mind before creation — the counsels of eternity: 
though the sense may be, the disposition of the 
ages or dispensations. The word in question, in 
some of the passages now cited, seems to refer to 
eternity past; in others, to very high antiquity, 
even to the -most ancient times ; while in others 
again, the reference may be to different ages or 
periods of the world. But the usage of the word 
when referring to the past, cannot, in this case, 
have any bearing on its import in reference to the 
future; because the past may frequently be limited 
in cases in which the future must be unlimited. 
For example : The word never, applied to human 
existence, must be understood with great diversity 
of meaning, according as it refers to the past, or 
to the future : thus, an individual has never expe- 
rienced affliction — he never will. In the former 
case, the sense of the word is limited by the com- 
mencement of the person's existence : in the latter, 
it has no limitation: but in either case, it expresses 
the whole period of existence, whether past or 
future. Thus, with the original word under con- 
sideration. While, therefore, in the examples now 
presented, there is no direct evidence either for, or 
against, the present Argument ; still, even from 
these examples, we should infer that the acknowl- 
edged sense of eternal endurance must be un- 
derstood, unless some special restriction be made to 
the contrary. 



SECOND DIVISION, 



" It is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, 
rather than having two hands, or two feet, to be cast into 
everlasting fire." — Matt, xviii : 8. 

" But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, 

is in danger of eternal damnation." — Mark iii : 29. 

" Who (namely, the wicked,) shall be punished with ever- 
lasting destruction." — 2 Thess. i : 9. 

" The doctrine of resurrection of the dead, and of 

eternal judgment." — Heb. vi : 2. 

" Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, 

are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of 
eternal fire." — Jude 7. 

The word here rendered sometimes " everlasting," 
and at other times, " eternal," is a^no?, (aionios,) 
a derivative from cucov, (aion,) and, substantially, 
the same word used in the adjective form. And 
the adjective, when employed in reference to the 
future, imports the same infinite duration with the 
adverbial phrase, &$ tov auom, (eis ton aiona ;) and 
as this phrase means for ever, to eternity, (ever- 
lastingly, perpetually, eternally ;) so the adjective 
{aiLowo^) signifies, everlasting, eternal, (perpetual, 
never-ending.) 

But we proceed to prove, That the uniform sig- 
nification of the word now before us, (au^to^,) as 



262 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

used in the New Testament in reference to the 
future, is that of endless duration. This position 
will be obvious to every one who may carefully 
examine the different applications of the word. 

1. It is applied to God : " The mystery," namely, 
of the gospel, " is now made manifest, and ac- 
cording to the commandment of the auwtap, (aioniou,) 
everlasting God, made known to all nations." — 
Rom. xvi : 26. In this passage the sense of the term 
is very evident : the Deity is absolutely eternal. 

2. The word is used in a doxology of praise to 
God : " To whom be honor and power (ammo*,) ever- 
lasting." — 1 Tim. vi : 16. But the "power" of 
the Infinite Potentate is eternal. 

3. The term is applied to the Spirit: "Christ 

through the ((uwrcou,) eternal Spirit offered 

Himself without spot to God." — Heb. ix : 14. The 
point has been much debated, whether by " the 
eternal Spirit" should be understood the Divine 
nature of the Messiah ; or, personally, the Spirit 
of God ; the former sense sustains the divinity of 
Christ ; the latter, the essential Deity of the Holy 
Ghost : but both interpretations present the true 
grammatical sense of the word in question. 

4. It is used in application to the covenant of 

grace : " The God of peace brought again 

from the dead our Lord Jesus, , through the 

blaod of the (atcovww,) everlasting covenant." — 
Heb. xiii : 20. The old covenant was not eternal, 
but temporal : it has passed away. The new cov- 
enant is not temporal, but eternal : it will endure 
for ever. The sense of the word is obvious. 



ARGUMENT SIXTH SECOND DIVISION. 263 

5. It is applied to the gospel: "Another angel" — 
the evangelical ministry — "having the (awmop 9 ) 
everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell 
on the earth." — Rev. xiv : 6. The gospel is a full 
and clear development of the covenant of grace. 
But the covenant, we have just seen, is eternal. 
The gospel, both in the principles it inculcates and 
the blessings it confers, will continue for ever. But 
in whatever aspect we view the gospel, in making 
such an application of oar own term everlasting, 
we do not lessen its significance. 

6. The word is used to qualify the redemption 
of Christ : " By his own blood, he (Christ,) entered 
in once into the holy place, having obtained (anovia,) 
eternal redemption for us." — Heb. ix : 12. 

7. It is applied to salvation : "And being made 
perfect, he (Christ,) became the author of (aicoww,) 
eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him." — 
Heb. v : 9. Redemption (strictly,) is the cause; 
salvation, the effect: they are both eternal. 

8. The term is applied to the spiritual consolation 
of believers : u God, even our Father, — hath loved 
us, and hath given us (cu,w iav,) everlasting conso- 
lation and good hope through grace." — 2 Thess. 
ii : 16. The abundant consolations of the Spirit, 
will continue with the believer through life, and 
for ever. The sense of the passage, however, 
seems to be, That God hath administered to us 
that consolation which is most permanent, and a 
hope well-founded ; both which spring, not from 
our own works, but from His own sovereign and 
eternal grace. 



264 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

9. The word before us describes the duration 
of the Messiah's ultimate kingdom: "For so an 
entrance shall be ministered to us abundantly into 
the (atcovtov,) everlasting kingdom of our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ." — 2 Pet. i: 11. Into this 
kingdom the disciples to whom the apostle wrote, 
had not yet entered, though they were in a state 
of grace; which proves that by the kingdom here 
is not meant the reign of grace, but that of glory. 
But the kingdom of glory, of which Jesus is the 
Prince, and into which the saints shall enter at 
death, is strictly eternal. 

10. It is used in application to those heavenly 
mansions which are prepared for His people in 
the future kingdom of the Messiah: "We have a 
building of God, an house not made with hands, 
{aiojviov,) eternal, in the heavens." — 2 Cor. v: I. 
That celestial building which is contrasted with 
our own frail earthly tent, must needs endure for 
ever. See also, and compare the "(acwiovs,) ever- 
lasting habitations." — Luke xvi : 9. 

11. The word is applied to the future inheritance 
of the children of God : " They which are called, re- 
ceive the promise of (at^vtov,) eternal inheritance." — 
Heb. ix : 15. Suffice it to say, that the same " inher- 
itance " is elsewhere described as being " incorrup- 
tible, and undefiled, and unfading;" which terms, 
as we have already shown, strongly imply eternity. 

12. The word is used to describe the future glory 
of believers : u That they may also obtain the 
salvation which is in Christ, with (aiuiviov,) eternal 
glory." — 2 Tim. ii: 10. Salvation in its incipient 



ARGUMENT SIXTH SECOND DIVISION. 265 

stage, is the state of grace ; but in its perfection, 
it is the state of glory : the former is temporal, the 
latter, eternal. But, even now, not only are believ- 
ers called to the former, but also to the latter, so 
far as regards the promise, hope, and earnest of it, 
and their heirship to it : they are even called that 
they may now receive salvation, and be hereafter 
crowned with glory. See, and compare 1 Peter 
v : 10 — " The God of all grace hath called us unto 
his (cuwi/tov,) eternal glory." But the glory of God, 
which also is His people's glory, will continue 
through eternity. 

13. Finally: The term is applicable to whatever 
is invisible in the future world : " The things which 
are seen are Ttpoaxa^a, (proskaira,) temporal ; but the 
things which are not seen are («*<*»«*«,) eternal." — 
2 Cor. iv: 18. The meaning of the word in this 
passage is obvious. 1. From its application : "The 
things unseen," being spiritual, are, consequently, 
eternal. 2. The antithesis confirms this sense : 
" The things which are seen are (rtpoaxatpa,) tem- 
poral" — for a time only, not eternal: they endure 
not for ever. Now any word contrasted with this 
must import eternal endurance : thus, " But the 
things which are not seen are (am^ta,) eternal" — 
ever-during, not temporal: they endure for ever. 
Such, then, is the precise and necessary import of 
the word under consideration. 

The following passage has been thought, by some, 
to present an exception to the general rule : " For 

our light affliction, which is but for a moment, 

23 



266 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

worketh for us a far more exceeding and (aiwiov,) 
eternal weight of glory." — 2 Cor. iv : 17. The 
term is here evidently used in application to the 
future beatitude of the saints : but, quite to my sur- 
prise, I have seen efforts made to deduce a limited 
sense from this application. Thus, the following 
has been insisted upon as the sense of the passage : 
" That our present light and momentary afflictions 
'work for us a weight of glory exceeding what is 
eternal." 

" Very far gone astray." The apostle uses hy- 
perbole upon hyperbole. He contrasts " affliction" 
with " glory;" "lightness," with "weight;" the 
" present," with the "future;" and the "momen- 
tary" with the "eternal:" and then, to show that 
this is barely sufficient to represent the blessedness 
of the saints in the heavenly world, he uses the 
phraseology xaO faspfiaaqv st$ vrfcp/Soi^w, (kath huper- 
bolen eis huperbolen,) literally, " according to hyper- 
bole upon hyperbole," in the most hyperbolical man- 
ner, (as when a number of hyperboles are thrown 
together to increase the sense, and present it in the 
most intensive form;) or, in an infinitely exceeding 
degree. The expression, indeed, while it exhibits the 
idea in the most superlative degree, does not, how- 
ever, seem essential to the sense of the passage : 
thus, " Our light and momentary affliction, according 
to hyperbole upon hyperbole, worketh for us an eternal 
weight of glory." The apostle declares that our 
present state is one of " affliction ; " but that the 
future will be a state of " glory; " that these afflic- 
tions are comparatively " light ; " but that the future 



ARGUMENT SIXTH SECOND DIVISION. 267 

glory will be "weighty;" that these afflictions are 
" momentary; " but that the glory will be "eternal : " 
and then he states that in thus exhibiting the future 
as contrasted with the present, he had used " hyper- 
bole upon hyperbole," — so infinitely does the " eter- 
nal " exceed the " momentary." The word, then, so 
far from being limited by the manner in which it 
is here used, is necessarily unlimited : and if the 
sense be not that of endless duration, then is not 
the hyperbole complete ; which is false. 

We shall give due attention to the word (cuwwoj,) 
in its application to " life," when we shall have 
disposed of the present head of the Argument. 

I would here make a short pause in the regular 
course of investigation, to notice a slight objection; 
if objection it may be called. It has been said that 
as aiavtos, (aionios,) is used three times in the epistles 
in application to %povo$ — zp Dl "oh (chronos — chron- 
oi,) ages or times ; (namely, Rom. xvi: 26 ; 2 Tim. 
i : 9 ; Tit. i: 2;) therefore, in these places the word 
must be understood in a limited sense. 

We have already shown under an antecedent Ar- 
gument, that the noun oucov, (aion,) is frequently used 
in the sense of world, dispensation, or period ; and 
although its derivative aiwios, (aionios,) the corres- 
ponding adjective, is not in this respect, very fre- 
quently used in a corresponding sense; still, we 
might very readily infer that such, occasionally, may 
be its signification. Thus, the apostle saith that 
" the mystery of the gospel was kept secret xp°v°<-s 



268 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

cuiovioLs, (chronois aioniois,) since the world began," 
(Rom. xvi: 26,) reads our version; literally, u during 
the periodical times," namely, the ever-revolving 
periods of past dispensations — " during a long 
course of ages : " In fact, the evangelical mystery 
had never been promulgated. Again he says that 
divine " grace was given us," and that " eternal life 
was promised," " Ttpo x?^^v atu^uor, (pro chronon 
aionion.) before the world began," (Tim. i: 9; Tit. 
i: 2,) as rendered in our version; but, more liter- 
ally, I should think, before the periodical or secular 
times of the divine administration. Such seems the 
strict, grammatical sense of the expression; though, 
at the same time, impliedly, it may signify " before 
the foundation of the world," and even " from the 
ages of eternity." It would seem, then, that the 
adjective atuvtos, (aionios,) in these passages should 
be understood as corresponding with a«oz>, (aion,) in 
the sense of world, period, or dispensation : and 
therefore the objection has lost its point. Also, in 
these passages, the reference is to past time, and to 
a typical age. 

We have now examined all the passages in the 
New Testament in which aiuvio$, (aionios,) occurs in 
reference to the future, excepting, as above stated, 
when applied to "life:" and we have found that, 
in all its applications, it must be understood in the 
sense of endless duration. It is applied to what- 
ever is infinitely enduring: To God, whose existence 
is absolute : To His glory, which is eternal : To 
the ever-blessed Spirit : To the covenant of grace, 



ARGUMENT SIXTH SECOND DIVISION. 26,9 

well-ordered and sure : To that gospel, the princi- 
ples and blessings of which shall for ever constitute 
the burden of praise in the song of the ransomed : 
To redemption from sin and misery : To salvation 
in this life and the life to come : To the most 
permanent consolations of the Spirit : To the king- 
dom of Messiah in the future world : To the celestial 
building prepared for the blessed in that perpetual 
reign — their Father's house above: To the incor- 
ruptible inheritance, undefined, unfading: To the 
future, unending glory of the righteous : To invisible 
and spiritual things. To whatever is infinitely en- 
during the word is applied : But to temporal things, 
in reference to the future, never. From the usage 
and application of the word, then, as it occurs in 
the New Testament, it is plain — it is even demon- 
strated — that the established and obvious sense is 
that of endless duration. 

But this word is applied to future punishment 
in sundry places and in divers manners : It is ap- 
plied to the fire of Gehenna : To the damnation of 
those whose blasphemy against the Holy Ghost was 
never to be forgiven : To the future destruction of 
the wicked : To the final judgment to pass upon 
all mankind, both the righteous and the wicked: 
And to the vengeance inflicted upon Sodom and 
Gomorrah. 

The conclusion, therefore, even now, would seem 
to follow with sufficient evidence : The only fair 
and logical conclusion to be deduced from the fore- 
going premises, is, That the future punishment of 
the wicked will never end. 



270 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

But as the literal meaning of words is variously 
modified or accurately determined, according as the 
context or otherwise imperiously demands ; it seems 
therefore expedient to examine the connections of 
those passages in which the eternal torments of the 
wicked appear to be presented. By this means we 
shall weaken or strengthen the evidence already 
exhibited, according as the context may corroborate 
or unsettle the general and established meaning of 
the word in question. 

The first passage, then, that calls our attention, 
is found in Matt, xviii: 8 — "It is better for thee to 
enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having 
two hands, or two feet, to be cast into (atwvtov,) 
everlasting fire." Now the fire here mentioned is 
that of Gehenna, as is obvious from the following 
verse; (ver. 9;) in which, for the like offence, the 
offending person is represented as being " cast into 
hell-fire," literally, the fire of the Gehenna. But 
it has been conclusively proved in an antecedent 
Argument, that Gehenna is used in the New Tes- 
ment as the symbol of future torment, to which 
both soul and body shall be subject after the resur- 
rection. Also, it has been demonstrated — as far as 
propositions can be proved by the use of language, 
and by the nature of metaphors — that the fire of 
Gehenna is absolutely unquenchable, which forcibly 
implies eternal duration : that, indeed, the fire is 
never to be quenched, and that the gnawing worm 
is never to die, while the rational soul of man 
retains its conscious vital existence. It follows, 
therefore, that the connection of this passage, so 



ARGUMENT SIXTH SECOND DIVISION. 271 

far from militating against the doctrine of endless 
punishment, — tends directly to confirm it. 

The next passage claiming our attention is re- 
corded in Mark iii : 29, (compared with Matt, xii: 
31, 32 ; Luke xii : 10.) " He that shall blaspheme 

against the Holy Ghost, is in danger of (aiwiov,) 

eternal damnation." But that in this passage the 
word in question should be understood in the strict 
sense of unending endurance, is obvious from all 
the considerations which have any bearing in the 
case. 

1. It is stated concerning this bold offender, that 
his blasphemy shall not be forgiven. This simple 
declaration, taken in its unqualified sense, extends 
through all futurity. But that it must be under- 
stood in this sense, is plain from the antithesis : 
thus, " All manner of sin and blasphemy against 
the Son of man, shall be forgiven unto men : but 
the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be 
forgiven unto men." As the former member of this 
declaration, as regards the future, must be under- 
stood in the absolute sense — to all futurity; so also 
must the latter. At no future period shall this 
calumniator be forgiven. 

2. But the sense of unlimited duration is con- 
firmed by the most intensive phraseology: "Who- 
soever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not 
be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in 
the world to come." But it has been proved in a 
preceding Argument, that "this world," in the pas- 
sage just cited, denotes the present natural state 
of things; "the world to come," the future and 



272 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

spiritual state of things; and the phraseology, 
" this world and the world to come," the whole 
period of our existence, both present and future, 
whether natural or spiritual. The expressions, 
therefore, with great cogency, convey the sense of 
duration without end. 

3. The correctness of this view is still further 
confirmed by another mode of expression : The 
blasphemer against the Holy Ghost "hath never 
forgiveness." But it has also been proved under 
another head of this Argument, that the phrase 
(ovx — tn tov auoi/a,) rendered "never," imports nothing 
less than eternal duration. 

4. And now our Lord finally adds, that such 
blasphemer "is in danger of eternal damnation." 
The term *pt&$, (krisis,) here rendered " damnation," 
literally signifies judgment, but its general meaning 
is judgment in the condemnatory sense ; and, ac- 
cordingly, it is frequently translated condemnation, 
or, as here, damnation. " Evozo^ (enochos,) in dan- 
ger of," is to be understood in the legal sense, sig- 
nifying obnoxious or liable to, as when a person 
guilty of any offence, is obnoxious to the penalty 
annexed to such offence. He is obnoxious to the 
law — to be dealt with by the law, or according to 
the law, and punished for transgressing the law: he 
is under judicial sentence of condemnation. Thus, 
our Lord says, He that shall blaspheme against the 
Holy Ghost, — is obnoxious to the penalty, in the 
court of heaven he is already sentenced to suffer 
the penalty, of eternal condemnation. 

In the passage now before us, not only is the 



ARGUMENT SIXTH SECOND DIVISION. 273 

whole context not favorable to the limited sense 
of the word under consideration ; but every clause 
is most strongly corroborative of its unlimited sig- 
nification. Our Lord declares concerning this cool, 
deliberate, malicious, and most daring offender, that 
"his blasphemy shall not be forgiven:' 5 That " it 
shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, 
neither in the world to come," during the whole, 
the infinite, period of his future existence: That 
indeed, he can never have forgiveness; no, not to 
all eternity : But that " he is obnoxious to eternal 
condemnation." Any one of these forms of ex- 
pression is sufficient to determine the sense of 
unending endurance. The first does it, by express- 
ing future duration, absolutely. The second, by 
specifying the two periods or states of human 
existence, the present and the future. The third, 
and fourth, by presenting, abstractly, the sense of 
endless duration; neither of which is, even once, in 
the New Testament used in a limited sense; but, 
universally, they signify, (or imply,) in reference to 
the future, duration without end. If, then, but one 
of these expressions were used, we should be phi- 
lologically bound to understand it in this sense; 
unless the context or otherwise should imperiously 
demand a different meaning. But considering that 
each word and phrase, apart, strictly signifies, or 
necessarily implies, eternity, as truly and as for- 
cibly as any word possibly can ; and considering 
further, that the form of expression is varied four 
times, thereby presenting the same generic sense 
in every variety of aspect, and with all possible 



274 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

intensiveness ; it cannot be otherwise than that our 
Lord intended to denounce the never-ending doom 
of those who blasphemed against the Holy Spirit. 

We next turn our attention to 2 Thess. i: 9. — 
"Who (namely, such as know not God, nor obey the 
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ,) shall be punished 
with (aumiovi) everlasting destruction." Now the 
whole connection of this passage, as developed in 
the first and second epistles to the church at Thes- 
salonica, plainly shows that the destruction threat- 
ened wall not be executed until the day of final 
judgment. 

1. This is obvious from the description given of 
the coming of Christ. — 2 Thess. i. The apostle 
first mentions the persecutions and tribulations of 
the Thessalonian Christians, (verse 4,) which he 
regarded as a certain indication of the future right- 
eous judgment of God; (ver. 5;) upon the high and 
equal principle, that God will punish the oppressor, 
(ver. 6,) and save the oppressed, (ver. 7.) Such a 
retribution, he assures us, shall take place "when 
the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven," in 
His personal appearance, "with His mighty angels,'' 
the attending ministers of His power, " In flaming 
fire" — the symbol of His awful majesty, though, 
more probably, in this place, an indication of His 
just and dreadful displeasure against the wicked, 
according to that which is immediately added — 
" taking vengeance on them that know not God, 
and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus 
Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting 



ARGUMENT SIXTH SECOND DIVISION. 2/0 

destruction from the presence of the Lord, and 
from the glory of His power;" — (vers. 8, 9,) lan- 
guage not so much expressive of the source of the 
"destruction," as of the manner of inflicting it, or, 
at least, the judicial banishment, the far off removal 
of the persons punished. Now the apostle informs 
us that this shall be done, " When he (the Judge) 
shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be 
admired in all them that believe — in that day." — 
verse 10. From the apostle's description of the 
coming of our Lord, it is plain that he must have 
spoken of an event very different from that of the 
destruction of Jerusalem, (the sense given it by 
those who believe in universal salvation ;) and that, 
indeed, he must have had in view the future advent 
of the Messiah. Much of the language is exclu- 
sively applicable to that grand event. Thus, to 
exemplify: the persecution endured by the church 
at Thessalonica, was no " manifest token of the 
judgment of God" in the destruction of Jerusalem : 
but such persecution permitted for the time being, 
was " a manifest token " that as judgment is not 
now fully executed, so there must be a future retri- 
bution. Again : It is not true, that at the fall of 
Jerusalem " the Lord Jesus was revealed from 
heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire:" 
but thus, visibly, shall He exhibit Himself at His 
final appearing. Furthermore : At Jerusalem's 
visitation, He did not, according to the natural 
sense and force of the language, " take vengeance 
on them that know not God, and that obey not the 
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ : " but He directed 



276 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

the arrows of His displeasure against a single na- 
tion. The Jews were dispersed, and their capital 
city fell. Finally: It does not hold true, that in the 
downfall of the Jewish nation, the Messiah " came 
to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in 
all them that believe." He was, indeed, glorified 
at that time, subordinately, in the destruction of 
the Jews, and admired by such believers as were 
then present witnessing the fulfillment of His pre- 
dictions ; but at His last advent, He will be glori- 
fied in the complete beatitude of His saints, and 
admired by all believers. Thus, plainly, in the 
present passage, the apostle speaks with reference 
to the final advent. 

It has, however, been objected, that the bitter 
persecutors here mentioned, — "to be punished with 
everlasting destruction from the presence of the 
Lord, and from the glory of His power," — were 
the Jews ; that at the time when this epistle was 
written, there were many of them at Thessalonica; 
that in all probability they would be at Jerusalem 
during its seige, and at its downfall; and that they 
would then receive their just and merited doom, 
" destruction from the presence of the Lord " — from 
the Shekinah, the symbol of the Divine Presence in 
the temple. They would thus " be punished with 
destruction," and with banishment, "from the glory 
of His power." 

But the objection is not only groundless; but it 
introduces matter which perfectly confirms the in- 
terpretation already given. It is not true, that the 
Jews were the persecutors in this case. That they 



ARGUMENT SIXTH SECOND DIVISION. 277 

were not, is most obvious from the following lucid 
testimony : " For ye, brethren, became followers of 
the churches of God which in Judea are in Christ 
Jesus : for ye also have suffered like things of your 
own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews." — 
1 Thess. ii : 14. Now, had the apostle simply stated 
to the Thessalonian Christians, that "they had suf- 
fered such things of their own countrymen," it 
would have been sufficient ; because one's own 
countrymen are, by this very appellation, distin- 
guished from strangers and sojourners. But where- 
as, in addition, he mentions " their countrymen " 
in distinction from " the Jews," it is thus clearly 
proved that those countrymen were not the Jews ; 
though, however, it is quite evident that the latter 
had somewhat instigated the former to persecute 
the Christians. 

And as the Jews at Thessalonica were not, as 
they could not be, the principal persecutors in- 
tended by the apostle ; so, consequently, they were 
not principally referred to by him when he informed 
his Thessalonian brethren that " those who troubled 
them should be punished with everlasting destruc- 
tion." It is further evident — from facts already 
stated — that the inspired writer could not refer to 
the destruction of Jerusalem at all ; because, that 
event, dreadful as it was, did not materially affect 
the citizens of Thessalonica. And finally, as the 
apostle predicts a period when Christ shall come 
in the style and retinue of the last judgment, to 
render a just retribution to both saint and sinner — 
mentioning, in particular, the native citizens of 



278 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

Thessalonica — it therefore follows conclusively, that 
the event described must be entirely different from 
that which was accomplished in the destruction of 
Jerusalem : And also, as the transaction will affect 
the wicked in general, and all believers, it follows, 
with equal conclusiveness, that it can be none 
other than the final advent of Christ to judge the 
world. The objection, for good policy, ought never 
to be hinted. 

2. That the final advent is intended, (2 Thess. i,) 
is further evident from the fact, that this is clearly 
described in the former epistle: (1 Thess. iv: 13-17:) 
" But I would not have you to be ignorant, breth- 
ren, concerning them that are asleep" — in the 
silent mansions, in the dust of the earth, — " that 
ye sorrow not" — on account of their departure — 
" even as others" — of the pagan world — "which 
have no"- — well-grounded — "hope. For if we 
believe" — as we certainly do — "that Jesus died, 
and rose again," — as stated by the evangelical 
historians with every mark of truth, — "even so, 
them alsp that sleep in Jesus, will God bring with 
Him " — at the final advent. " For this we say 
unto you " — upon the very highest authority, even 
"by the word of the Lord, that we " — or any of 
the Christian church — " which are alive and remain 
unto the coming of the Lord" — in the last day, — 
"shall not prevent" — or go before, or ascend in 
advance of — "them which are asleep" — in the 
house of death. " For the Lord himself shall 
descend from heaven " — even as he was seen to 
ascend — " with a shout" — of universal triumph, — 



ARGUMENT SIXTH SECOND DIVISION. 279 

" with the voice of the archangel, and with the 
trump of God," — to awake all the dead; — " and 
the dead in Christ shall rise first," — even before 
the living in Christ shall ascend : " Then we which 
are alive" — upon the earth — " and remain" — unto 
the last coming — "shall be caught up together 
with them;" — for the dead now raised, and the 
living changed, shall be caught up together — " in 
the clouds,"— -with bodies so spiritual as — " to 
meet the Lord " — even — " in the air ; and so shall 
we ever be with the Lord." 

In the passage before us, then, is described an 
advent of the Messiah which did not take place at 
the fall of Jerusalem ; one that has never yet been 
realized; but one which, from its clear and cer- 
tain prediction, shall yet be made, in some future 
period : It is His final coming. But we must 
understand the apostle in this passage, (1 Thess. 
iv : 13-17,) as predicting the same advent with 
that which he describes in his second epistle. — 
2 Thess. i : 4-10. The former, therefore, being 
the final one, the latter also must be ; unless some 
special reason be shown to the contrary : But there 
is no reason. 

3. But finally, the point is settled : The apostle 
refers us to a far future period as the time of the 
second advent : " Now we beseech you, brethren, 
by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by 
our gathering together unto Him, That ye be not 
soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by 
spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us, as 
that the day of Christ is at hand." — 2 Thess. 



280 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

ii : 1,2. From this it appears, that after the apos- 
tle had written his first epistle to the Thessalo- 
nians, they took a false impression as to the speedy 
advent of Christ to judgment : they supposed that 
the day of His final coming was near at hand. 
This false notion was caused " either by spirit " — 
some pretended revelation of the spirit ; " or by 
word" — some oral or verbal communication; " or 
by letter," referring, probably, to his first epistle. 
They may, indeed, have imbibed the notion from 
the following statement : " We which are alive 
and remain unto the coming of the Lord." — 
1 Thess. iv: 15, 17. The belief, however, was 
extravagant in the last degree, and fraught with 
evil consequences ; and therefore the writer of this 
epistle embraces his earliest opportunity to correct 
the erroneous views of his brethren. But that by 
" the coming of our Lord," (2 Thess, ii : 1,2,) in 
this passage, we are to understand the final advent 
of the Messiah, and not that which took place at 
the destruction of Jerusalem, is obvious for the 
following reasons : 

1 . The saints are to be gathered to Christ : 
" Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering to- 
gether unto Him." Now the saints were not 
" gathered together unto Christ," at the destruction 
of Jerusalem. Indeed, so far is it from being true 
that they assembled at that time to witness the sad 
catastrophe, and meet their coming Lord ; that, on 
the contrary, they were dispersed abroad. The 
disciples, during the siege of Jerusalem, sought 



ARGUMENT SIXTH SECOND DIVISION. 281 

to flee, according to their Lord's direction ; and 
Divine Providence accomplished their aim. But at 
His final coming, the saints shall be " gathered 
together unto Him." " They shall stand before His 
judgment-seat," and " every eye shall see Him." 
The saints in heaven, and the saints on earth, shall 
be gathered together in one vast assembly, and 
meet around the tribunal of Jesus. The coming, 
therefore, must refer to the final advent. 

2. The same conclusion follows from the effect 
which the news of His coming had upon the minds 
of the disciples : " They were shaken in mind, or 
troubled." But how the coming of Christ to de- 
stroy Jerusalem, a city so distant (about a thousand 
miles) from Thessalonica ; or, His coming to de- 
stroy the Jews, the inveterate enemies of the 
Christians : how such a coming could much dis- 
turb the minds of Thessalonian Christians, is too 
mysterious to be easily comprehended. Had the 
city of Thessalonica been bound to Jerusalem by 
any special and sacred ties — such as that of col- 
ony, confederate state, or any other principle of 
union, or of common interest — then, indeed, we 
could perceive some propriety in their being so 
greatly alarmed and disturbed at the prediction of 
Jerusalem's speedy overthrow. But the former 
was not in any such manner allied to the latter : 
The two were held together by no common bond — 
no feeling of unity, no religious tie, no pecuniary 
interest, no political confederacy, no principle of 
dependence; and, consequently, in no considera- 
ble degree, could the fall of Jerusalem affect the 
24 



282 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

interests of the Christians at Thessalonica. The 
coming of the Messiah, therefore, cannot be con- 
fined to the Jewish nation, nor to the ruin of any 
one city, (no, not even to Thessalonica itself;) it 
must be the final advent. 

But it may be inquired, why should the speedy 
coming of Christ so shake the minds of Christians ? 
I answer, Simply because it was not a fact. The 
apostle had taught them no such doctrine; and so 
far as they received it, they " were shaken " from 
the foundation which the apostle had laid. Be- 
sides : Had the Thessalonians been permitted to 
retain such a notion, the effect would be to "shake" 
them from the broad basis of Christianity : They 
would first be diverted from their ordinary voca- 
tions, in view of His speedy approach to judgment : 
they would still, for an indefinite length of time, 
expect Him to descend, and wonder at His long 
delay: this certain expectation they would mention 
to their friends and fellow-travellers to the last tri- 
bunal, and still maintain the fact : at length their 
confidence would linger in uncertainty, and they 
would become silent: the adversary would now 
speak reproachfully, and revile the Christian name : 
the Christians themselves, astonished at the disap- 
pointment, would be struck dumb in argument, and 
secretly doubt the truth of the Christian religion. 
Such, and so appalling, would be the consequences, 
if they had been permitted to retain impressions 
so utterly false on this capital point. The apostle, 
therefore, wisely proceeds to rectify their erroneous 
notion. 



ARGUMENT SIXTH SECOND DIVISION. 283 

3. He represents the advent of Christ as far 
future : " Be not soon shaken in mind, or be 
troubled, as that the day of Christ is at hand." 
This language the apostle could not use in refer- 
ence to the fate of Jerusalem, as that event was, 
in a manner, just at hand: but it well applies to 
the final advent. The apostle proceeds : " Let no 
man deceive you by any means : for that day shall 
not come, except there come a falling away (lite- 
rally, the apostacy,) first, and that man of sin be 
revealed, the son of perdition." — ver. 3. It mat- 
ters not with the present Argument what particular 
" falling away " — apostacy, or defection, is meant 
by the apostle ; nor yet what particular person, or 
rather, succession of persons, is intended by "the 
man of sin, the son of perdition." It is sufficient 
for our present purpose, that while they are repre- 
sented as yet far future ; still, they were to be fully 
developed before the coming of the Lord. Read 
the complete sentence, expressed and implied, thus: 
Let no man deceive you by any means : for, ex- 
cept the apostacy first come, and the man of 
sin be revealed, (even) the son of perdition ; w 7 ho 
opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is 
called God, or that is worshiped; so that he, as 
God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself 
that he is God ; that day shall not come. — vers. 3, 4. 
The sense of the passage is suspended, and the 
sentence, consequently incomplete, until the final 
clause (in italics,) is added : " unless the apostacy 
first come, the day of judgment will not arrive." 
The apostle's argument, plainly, is this : There 



284 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

must yet take place a great apostaey in the world: 
But Christ will not finally come till after that apos- 
taey : Therefore, His coming is not near at hand, 
(as at the destruction of Jerusalem,) but far future. 

Now, for all the reasons above given, it is con- 
clusive that the apostle in the passage before us, 
(2 Thess. i: 9,) speaks with reference to the final 
advent of the Messiah, as the period when the 
wicked " shall be punished." This is plain from the 
description given of that advent in the whole con- 
nection ; (vers. 5- 10 ;) which cannot apply to the 
destruction of Jerusalem, but must refer to that 
" revelation " of Himself which he will make in 
the end of the world : From the fact that it is the 
same with that which is described in the first 
epistle; (iv: 13-17;) in which, as must be con- 
ceded on all hands, the final advent is most clearly 
and forcibly brought to view : And also, from the 
fact, that it is identical with the " coming of our 
Lord," as exhibited in 2 Thessalonians ii : 1-4; 
which, also, as we have amply proved, is none 
other than the last appearing of Jesus Christ : 
From all the facts and premises above submitted, 
it is now reduced even to a moral certainty, that 
the apostle refers to the final advent of the Mes- 
siah, as the period when the wicked shall be pun- 
ished. — 2 Thess. i: 9. 

But at that period the " wicked shall be punished 
with everlasting destruction" — utter and irreme- 
diable perdition, implying, also, extreme misery. 

The conclusion, to me, seems irresistible : The 
Messiah descends in awful state : He awakes all 



ARGUMENT SIXTH SECOND DIVISION. 285 

the nations of the dead : The dead are raised from 
their humble mansions, and the living are changed 
into other modes of life : Obedient to the summons 
of God, they advance toward the " white throne : " 
Both saint and sinner stand in awful pause, await- 
ing the final sentence : The majesty of the Judge 
seems dreadful : The world has now come to an 
end, its scenes have all passed away, and all its 
times, and seasons, and changes, are about to be 
absorbed in one grand, unchanging, never-ending 
period : And just now, the Judge, mounted on His 
tribunal, pronounces sentence, awarding to the 
righteous bliss without end, and dooming the 
wicked to interminable woe — banishment from 
all the glory and bliss of heaven. The Supreme 
Messiah sets His seal to the destiny of every crea- 
ture, and there is no hope of appeal; " The wicked 
are punished with (atwtw,) everlasting" — never- 
ending — " perdition." 

The passage next in order which merits an ex- 
amination, is found in Hebrews vi : 2 — "The 
doctrine — of (cxoovlov,) eternal judgment." Now, 
that the apostle refers to the final "judgment," is 
obvious from the connection. He mentions di- 
rectly, and in regular order, "repentance," "faith," 
" baptisms," the " laying on of hands," the " resur- 
rection of the dead," and " eternal judgment." 
He informs his brethren that these fundamental 
points were taught and understood but very im- 
perfectly, by types and predictions, under the Jew- 
ish economy ; but that they are now revealed 



286 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

more clearly and fully : and therefore, he is intent 
upon leading them from "the principles" — the 
first rudiments "of the doctrine of Christ," as 
developed under the law, — to the full " perfection" 
of that "doctrine" as exhibited in the gospel. 
Now, further, observe the order in which the in- 
spired writer inculcates these fundamental points 
in the Christian faith: thus, 1. "Repentance;" — 
Godly sorrow for sin, including, also, moral refor- 
mation of life. 2. "Faith;" — A resting on God 
for salvation, according to His word. 3. " Bap- 
tisms;" as, the baptism of proselytes and Christian 
baptism; or, the baptism of water and of the Spirit. 
4. The " laying on of hands;" a ceremony, with 
which, in the primitive times of Christianity, bap- 
tism was followed. 5. The " resurrection of the 
dead;" taught fundamentally, though imperfectly, 
to the people of God under the typical dispensa- 
tion ; but now more clearly revealed in the gos- 
pel, " whereby life and immortality are brought 
to light" without a shadow and without a vail. 
6. "And," finally, the doctrine " of eternal judg- 
ment ; " also taught " at sundry times and in divers 
manners, unto the fathers by the prophets;" but 
especially, Enoch, the seventh from Adam, proph- 
esied of the day, saying, " Behold, the Lord cometh 
with ten thousand of His saints, to execute judg- 
ment upon all." — Jade 14, 15. Yet even this 
great fact was not revealed to " perfection " until 
the clearer light of evangelical truth shone forth. 
Such is the order in which the apostle mentions 
the elementary " principles " of Christian doctrine ; 



ARGUMENT SIXTH SECOND DIVISION. 287 

of which, the last is the general "judgment." Fur- 
ther : While he states distinctly six great funda- 
mental points ; he divides them, however, into three 
general classes: 1. "Repentance" and "faith;" 
which qualified the person to make a holy pro- 
fession. 2. " Baptism " and the " imposition of 
hands;" which were conferred on the believing 
penitent. 3. The " resurrection of the dead," and 
the " final judgment ; " into the faith of which the 
candidate was initiated. If the " resurrection " be 
a physical one, the "judgment" must refer to the 
final retribution. But, as was conclusively shown 
under a former Argument, the original word for 
"resurrection," as used in the New Testament, 
uniformly signifies the final and physical revivifi- 
cation of man. Besides: If by the "resurrection" 
we must here understand the moral change ; then, 
the apostle is made to repeat needlessly what he 
had just before expressed, and to leave unno- 
ticed what should be mentioned : Because, the 
moral change is brought to view in the expressions, 
" repentance from dead works," and " faith toward 
God ; " and then the candidate for " baptism " was 
initiated into the doctrines of the " resurrection and 
eternal judgment;" principles which we should 
naturally expect the apostle would now state. 

From the consecutive order, then, observed by 
the apostle, in enumerating the elementary " prin- 
ciples " of the Christian faith : and especially from 
the fact, that the "eternal judgment" is classed 
with the final "resurrection of the dead :" From 
these considerations, we arrive at the conclusion, 



288 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

That the "judgment" certainly must refer to the 
final retribution. 

Now the original word xptjia, (krima,) a word 
nearly synonymous with *g»*'cr.t& (krisis,) is variously 
rendered in the New Testament, " damnation," 
"condemnation," and, as here, "judgment :" but 
in the specific sense of justification, it does not 
occur. It imports that "judgment of God which 
is against them which commit deeds of wicked- 
ness ; " (Rom. ii : 2 ;) and " from which (judgment) 
they shall not escape : " (ver. 3 :) it is " the judg- 
ment to condemnation;" (Rom. v: 16;) and "the 
judgment to come" which made Felix tremble. — 
Acts xxiv : 25. 

It follows, then, that the apostle in the passage 
before us, (Heb. vi : 2,) speaks of a judgment 
which denounces condemnation to the wicked, 
while at the same time it implies the ultimate 
acquittal of the believer : A judgment which will 
succeed the resurrection of the dead : And a judg- 
ment which, reckoning from that period, will be 
"(auonos,) eternal." The sense of the passage, 
then, beyond all rational evasion, is plainly this : 
That the decisions of the Grand Assize, whether 
for bliss or woe, will be irreversible and eternal. 

If the sentence of eternal condemnation to be 
passed against the wicked after the resurrection, 
be sufficient to prove the doctrine of endless pun- 
ishment; then is that doctrine proved. 

The last passage that demands our attention, is 
found in Jude 7 : " Even as Sodom and Gomorrah 



ARGUMENT SIXTH SECOND DIVISION. 289 

and the cities about them, in like manner, giv- 
ing themselves over to fornication, and going after 
strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffer- 
ing the vengeance of (au»wm,) eternal fire." The 
inspired writer must here be understood with ref- 
erence either to the cities of the plain, or the inhab- 
itants of those cities : but in either case, the term in 
question (a&ca*tc$, — aionios,) conveys its strict gram- 
matical sense, that of unending duration. 

If the reference be to the cities themselves, the 
sense will be strikingly obvious : because those 
cities were destroyed in such a manner as to ren- 
der it impossible, according to the order of nature, 
for them ever to be rebuilt. The fire from heaven 
with which God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, 
is eternal in its effects : and the site of the ancient 
Pentapolis shall still be pointed out till the latest 
generation, as a standing monument of Jehovah's 
displeasure in the eternal and total overthrow of 
those cities. 

But it seems probable that Jude speaks w T ith 
respect to the inhabitants. If so, the sense of the 
word in question is still the same : for the citizens 
were destroyed with a total and perpetual over- 
throw. The apostle saith, "They are set forth" — 
in their brief history — " for an example" — to the; 
ungodly ; and, as an example, they are exhibited, — 
" suffering the vengeance of eternal fire ; " a " fire," 
the effects of which are "eternal." The point of 
resemblance, however, seems to be between the 
fire from heaven with which the Sodomites were 

consumed, and the wrath of God which, as a living 

25 



290 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT, 

flame, shall destroy the impenitent sinner. It fol- 
lows, then, very naturally, as the former was eter- 
nal in its consequences, producing an endless 
destruction; so, too, that the latter — the Divine 
displeasure — shall be equally enduring, flaming 
out eternally against the wicked, and causing in- 
terminable misery. (At the same time, the apostle 
may be understood as conveying the additional 
idea, that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are 
now " suffering the vengeance " of an offended 
God in the invisible world.) 

But it has been objected to the interpretation 
above given, that, according to the letter of pro- 
phecy, the Sodomites shall yet return and be 
saved, thus : " When I shall bring again their cap- 
tivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, 
and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, 
then will I also bring again the captivity of thy 
captives in the midst of them." "Then shalt thou 
remember thy ways and be ashamed, when thou 
shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder, (Sodom,) and 
thy younger, (Samaria,) and I will give them unto 
thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant." — 
Ezek. xvi : 53, 61, compared with verse 55. 

But it is sufficient for our present purpose to 
show that these predictions are to be understood, 
not in a literal, but a figurative sense. Now, that 
such is the sense, is obvious from the following 
considerations : 

1. The chapter in general, (Ezek. xvi,) is highly 
figurative : but especially, as bearing on this point, 



ARGUMENT SIXTH SECOND DIVISION. 291 

notice verse 3 ; in which " the Lord God saith unto 
Jerusalem," — that is, the Jewish nation, — "thy 
father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hit- 
tite ; " names of heathen nations ; though, literally, 
Abraham and Sarah were the father and mother 
of the Jewish people. 

2. Sodom is frequently used in the Sacred Scrip- 
tures, as symbolical of a people who had become 
very degenerate, wicked, and abandoned. The 
nation of Israel elsewhere, is even called by the 
names of " Sodom" and " Gomorrah." — Isa. i: 10. 
And the metropolis of the man of sin " is spirit- 
ually called Sodom and Egypt." — Rev. xi : 8. 

3. A literal interpretation of the prophecy in 
Rzekiel is utterly inadmissible. The ancient site 
of Sodom, including also that of the adjoining 
cities, is now deeply submerged under the waters 
of the Dead Sea. Those cities were destroyed so 
totally, and in such a manner, as to preclude even 
the possibility of their ever being rebuilt, according 
to the natural course of things. Now, while, on the 
one hand, it is true, that " the literal sense of lan- 
guage is not to be departed from without weighty 
reasons;" on the other, it is equally true, that u no 
interpretation of Scripture can be correct which 
violates the order, and is contrary to the analogy 
of nature." The literal meaning of words may be 
departed from, when the context so demands. As 
a literal interpretation, then, is (out of the question, 
and) utterly inadmissible, we are philologically 
bound to receive the figurative one. 

4. Let the language be understood in the 



292 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

metaphorical sense, and all is easy and natural. 
Thus, " Sodom " and " Samaria," both noted for 
wickedness, are called the " two sisters of Jeru- 
salem ; " because the latter resembled them in 
moral degradation of character. These " two sis- 
ters," however, denote the Gentile nations; "The 
elder and the younger;" the greater and the less, 
the ancient and the modern. " Their returning 
from their captivity to their former estate," then, 
appears to be an obvious prediction of the conver- 
sion of the Gentiles. As this shall take place (fully) 
at the " time of Jerusalem's return," it hints at the 
still future period when " the Jews shall be brought 
in with the fullness of the Gentiles." Yet as "Je- 
rusalem shall then receive Sodom and Samaria," 
not as sisters, but "as daughters ; " it imports that 
the Jews were first the chosen people of God ; and 
that, at length, upon their final return, they shall 
be one great means of the evangelization of the 
world, and shall then embrace in the arms of faith 
and charity all the Gentile nations. And finally, 
as all this shall be done, " not according to the 
covenant of Jerusalem, but according to the cove- 
nant of God," — it distinctly announces to us, that 
the predicted return of both Jews and Gentiles, and 
their happy union in one body, shall not be accom- 
plished according to the covenant of peculiarity 
with the nation of Israel, but in accordance with 
the covenant of grace as developed in the gospel. 

Thus, as we now clearly perceive, it is not true, 
that the prophet predicts an era in which the people 
of Sodom and Gomorrah, literally, shall return and 



ARGUMENT SIXTH SECOND DIVISION. 293 

be saved : and while the literal interpretation con- 
tradicts the whole analogy of nature, and the econ- 
omy of Divine Providence; the metaphorical one 
is in perfect harmony with the universal order of 
nature, Providence, and grace. 

Our position, then, expressed in full, remains 
undisturbed : That (while they may now be suffer- 
ing an interminable doom in the world of spirits,) 
the Sodomites are exhibited, in their fiery destruc- 
tion, as a perpetual and most alarming example to 
sinners, of the never-ending torments of the finally 
impenitent in the future world. 

We have now examined the connections of all 
those passages in which, under this Division of the 
Argument, the eternal punishment of the wicked 
seems presented to view : and we have not found a 
single example in which the word in question is 
used to qualify temporal misery. The punishment 
to which the word is applied, is not even once con- 
fined to the present world ; but it uniformly refers 
to the future state of man. The word (a^to* — 
aionios, eternal, or everlasting,) is applied to the 
torments of Gehenna, which (Gehenna) we have 
proved to be the place of punishment in the invisi- 
ble world. It is applied to the " damnation " of the 
blasphemer of the Holy Ghost ; whose punishment, 
as we have already proved, shall be inflicted more 
fully in the future state of being, and shall continue 
throughout the whole peried of an immortal exis- 
tence, " both in this world and in the world to 
come." It is applied to the " destruction "— that 



294 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

total and irremediable perdition — " with which the 
wicked shall be punished" at the final advent of 
the Messiah. The term is applied to the "judg- 
ment" — that judicial sentence — which shall then 
be pronounced by the "Judge of quick and dead;" — 
in reference to the wicked, that condemnatory sen- 
tence which is final, and from which there is no 
appeal. And finally, it is applied to the penal 
" fire " — the total and interminable perdition, — 
with which the Sodomites were overthrown ; — an 
example of that eternal torment with which the 
wicked shall be punished in the future world. 

Thus, then, while the word in question, as used 
in the New Testament in reference to the future, 
uniformly imports unending duration ; not only is 
this word applied to the punishment of the wicked 
a number of times ; but it is thus applied, in such a 
manner, and in such connections, as to confine its 
meaning to the future and unchanging state of man. 
That word, which, in the New Testament, strictly 
and uniformly signifies eternal duration, is applied 
to such punishment as will be inflicted in the un- 
changing and eternal world. 

The conclusion, therefore, cannot be avoided, and 
ought not to be suppressed : That such punishment 
will never end. 



THIRD DIVISION. 



" And these shall go away into everlasting" punishment : 
but the righteous into life eternal." — Matt, xxv 46. 

" In antithetical language, one member of the 
antithesis should be understood with as great a 
latitude of meaning as the other." 

The word eu^*^, (aionios,) rendered "everlasting." 
in the first member of this passage, in the second 
is, perhaps for variety, translated " eternal." In the 
former, it is applied to " punishment;" in the latter, 
to " life." The life, as opposed to punishment, does 
not denote simply a state of vital existence, but a 
state of happiness. 

Now, according to the rule of interpretation just 
laid down, the doctrine of endless punishment is as 
clearly and certainly taught in the present passage, 
as is that of the eternal happiness of the righteous. 
But those who believe in the final salvation of all 
mankind, seek to evade the force of the Argument by 
saying that the phrase "^ atoviov, (zoen aionion,) 
eternal life," does not import a state of future bliss ; 
but, simply, a state of grace in the present world. 
It is of importance, therefore, to turn our attention 
to a careful and somewhat critical examination 



296 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

of the true and evangelical import of the phrase 
before us. 

We propose, then, to confirm and illustrate the 
following position : That the phrase "(£\o*™ cumiov,) 
eternal life," as used in the New Testament, is not 
in a single instance, necessarily confined to the 
present state of our existence ; while, in many 
examples, it must import a state of future and 
eternal happiness. In support of this position, 
let us glance at the passages in which the phrase 
occurs, as follows : 

Matt, xix: 16. — " Good Master," said one to our 
Lord, "what good thing shall I do, that I may have 
(Ziorjv cucovlov,) eternal life?" It is natural to suppose 
that the " young man " spake of the life to come : 
but that he did, is confirmed by our Lord's answer, 
in which the "treasure in heaven," (ver. 21,) is 
obviously synonymous with "eternal life." See 
also, Mark x: 17; Luke x: 25; xviii: 18; at which 
places, the phrase occurs so as to indicate the same 
sense. 

Ibid, xix: 29. — "And every one that hath for- 
saken houses or lands, for my 

name's sake, shall receive an hundred-fold, and 
shall inherit (fco^ awviov,) everlasting life." This 
language, it would seem, is sufficiently definite to 
express a state of future bliss : but two other evan- 
gelists are still more explicit, informing us that the 
follower of Christ " shall receive an hundred- fold 
now in this present time, and in the world to come 
(£co^ aiovvov,) eternal life." — Mark x : 30 ; Luke xviii : 



ARGUMENT SIXTH THIRD DIVISION. 297 

30. But the phrase, " the world to come," as has 
been conclusively proved in a preceding Argument, 
imports the future period of our existence ; and, 
consequently, " eternal life," in this passage, must 
signify the beatitude of the faithful in the future 
world. 

John iii : 15. — " The Son of man must be lifted 
up ; That whosoever believeth in him should not 
perish, but have (£w«p mumm*) eternal life." But 
the Messiah was not thus suspended on the cross, 
to deliver the sons of men from temporal evils, nor 
(merely) to confer upon them temporal favors : by 
His death, He secured to His people eternal felicity. 
Such, too, was the Father's benevolent object in 
giving His Son ; namely, to grant even to the sons 
and heirs of death the beatitudes of immortality. 
See ver. 16. 

Ibid, iii: 36. — " He that believeth on the Son 
hath (ZiOYjv aiwiov,) everlasting life." On this and a 
number of similar passages referred to at the close 
of the following remarks, — is grounded the per- 
suasion, that " eternal life," in the Scriptures, is 
confined to the present state of our existence : thus, 
it is not said of the believer, (merely,) that he shall 
have (" eternal life,") in the future tense ; but, using 
the present, that " he hath eternal life : " and there- 
fore the " life " mentioned is not referred to the 
future and eternal world, but limited to the present. 

In answer to this, it might be remarked, that the 
believer " has eternal life " by right of redemption, 
as purchased by the blood of Christ; and also, 
by heirship, as adopted into His family. I would 



298 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

further remark that the present tense, used abso- 
lutely, may not only imply the future, but express 
more forcibly than the future can, the certainty of 
what is promised : thus, " To the believer pertains 
the high prerogative of possessing and enjoying 
eternal life." 

But after all, the literal reading expresses the 
true and rational sense of the passage. Our Lord 
says, " Whosoever believeth on the Son hath ever- 
lasting life" — hath it now — hath it in actual pos- 
session. To illustrate the matter more fully and 
bring it home, let us for a moment advert to the 
question, What is eternal life? It is the life of 
holiness and happiness that will never end, enjoyed 
partly at present in a state of grace, but to be en- 
joyed more fully hereafter in the kingdom of glory. 
According to this definition, we may safely say of 
the believer that he (now) " hath eternal life : " he 
has within, the life of grace, a holy and heavenly 
principle, immortal and divine. Such appears to 
be the plain and obvious sense of the passage. 
Thus, to further illustrate, we say of man, that he 
has an undying, immortal spirit, — without intending 
to hint that the spirit which he now possesses, is 
therefore confined to the present period of his ex- 
istence : indeed, the very language evidently implies 
that the spirit, after the dissolution of the body, is 
destined to flourish in all its vigor, in a future life. 
Thus, too, as regards the new life of grace : It is 
hid in the soul ; it lives in its life — moves in its 
motions — glows in its affections — blooms and 
expands in its powers — and continues throughout 



ARGUMENT SIXTH THIRD DIVISION. 299 

its whole duration. The new life within, like the 
spirit of man, is an undying, immortal principle : it 
is eternal. The Christian, even now, — "hath eter- 
nal life." It may seem to assume different forms — 
its developments may vary — but the thing remains. 
The plant that was budding by the wayside, was 
removed : it has been transplanted in the garden : 
it is tall and majestic, and laden with fruit : But it 
is the same plant very much changed. That lofty 
oak, which now stands the king of the woods, was 
once but barely germinating from the acorn ; then 
it stood among plants of small renown : but it grew 
and became mighty : It is the same tree, but so 
altered that no traveller can detect its identity. 
Such, for ever, is the soul which now tabernacles 
in the body : Such, too, is the spiritual life which is 
seated in the soul. In the language of Messiah : 
" He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet 
shall he live : And he that liveth and believeth in 
me, shall never die." The Christian " hath eternal 
life" — hath it now; not, indeed, in its perfection, 
but in its incipient stage : he has it just so far as it 
is developed in a state of grace : he has the life 
divine implanted in the soul, not subject to time 
and change : he has a life within which continues 
through all time, and which, at the dissolution of 
this material frame, shall be developed in another 
form, and in full perfection, to flourish in eternal 
vigor. Thus, " Whosoever believeth on the Son 
hath everlasting life : " and then how dreadful the 
concluding antithetical member of the verse : " And 
he that believeth not the Son shall not see life ; but 



300 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

the wrath of God abideth on him." See also, and 
compare with the above cited passage, John v: 24 ; 
vi: 47, 54; 1 John v: 13; in all which places, the 
sense of the expression, " hath eternal life," is the 
same as exhibited in the remarks just made. 

Ibid, iv : 14. — " Whosoever drinketh of the water 
that I shall give him shall (ov fa — s*s tov attom,) never 
thirst ; but the water that I shall give him shall be in 
him a w r ell of living water springing up into {K^n v 
aiwiov,) everlasting life." The sense obviously is, 
That the living word of Christ, as it takes effect in 
the heart, becomes the unfailing source of true feli- 
city, both here and hereafter — the perennial spring 
of all our joys. In this passage we have the posi- 
tion exemplified, that the adverbial phrase, (ov ^ — 
ft* tov a&wva,) as rendered " never," and the adjective 
(aiwiov,) " everlasting," have equal significance ; and 
they both import never-ending duration. 

Ibid, iv: 36. — "And he that reapeth receiveth 
wages, and gathereth fruit unto (fw^ anwiov?) life 
eternal ; that both he that soweth and he that reap- 
eth may rejoice together." That is, both the pre- 
paratory and the perfecting labors of the evangelical 
ministry, shall happily result in the future and un- 
ending bliss of returning sinners ; which shall be 
the ample and equal reward of the "sower" and 
the "reaper." 

Ibid, v : 39. — " Search the Scriptures ; for in them 
ye think ye have (?w*p rui^Mw,) eternal life" — endless 
felicity revealed, and the way of obtaining it. 

Ibid, vi: 27. — -"Labor not for the meat which 
perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto 



ARGUMENT SIXTH THIRD DIVISION. 301 

(Zutqv ouujvlov,) everlasting life, which the Son of man 
shall give unto you." In this passage, from the 
contrast used between the " bread that perisheth " 
and " that " which is imperishable, it becomes 
strikingly obvious that the "life" mentioned is 
strictly eternal. 

Ibid, vi: 40. — " iVnd this is the will of him that 
sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and 
believeth on him, may have (Cw^ attwmv,) everlasting 
life" — bliss eternal: " and," to this end, "I will 
raise him up at the last day" — that great and final 
day, "the very day on which Mary and Martha 
believed that Lazarus should rise again : — I am the 
resurrection," saith the Messiah. — John xi : 24, 25. 

Ibid, vi: 68. — "Thou (Lord,) hast the words of 
(<f^ au**wv 9 ) eternal life." His " words " taught, 
and were the means of conferring eternal salvation. 

Ibid, x: 23. — "And I," saith the Good Shepherd, 
"give unto my sheep (&*?# cuwi/mh/,) eternal life; 
and they shall (ov ^ — «j roi/ awm,) never perish." 
Another exemplification, this, that (cnwi/toj,) eternal, 
imports the same infinite endurance with (ov py — 
st$ tov acwvtt,) never. 

Ibid, xii : 25. — " He that loveth his life shall lose 
it ; and he that hateth his life in (*w xoapu tovt^ ) to 
kosmo touto,) this world, shall keep it unto (fw^v 
auovvov,) life eternal." In this passage, the " life in 
this world" and the "life eternal," are contrasted 
with each other. And as the former is natural, 
present, and temporal ; so the latter is spiritual, 
future, and eternal. The term (xaopos — kosmos,) 
is the appropriate one for the present natural world 



302 DOCTRrNE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

Ibid, xii: 50.— " And I know that his (the Fa- 
ther's) commandment is (f^ anovoo^) life everlast- 
ing :" The great object of my mission and ministry, 
in obedience to my Father's behest, is, the eternal 
salvation of man. 

Ibid, xvii: 2, 3. — " As thou hast given him power 
over all flesh, that he should give (fco*p cuwiov,) eter- 
nal life" — blessedness without end — " to as many 
as thou hast given him. And this is r { aiuvio$ ^?j f 
(he aionios zoe,) (the) life eternal, that they might 
know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom 
thou hast sent." The sense of the passage seems 
to be this : The way of attaining to everlasting 
salvation is, to know and acknowledge thee as the 
only true God, and Jesus Christ as the true and only 
Anointed Saviour. Or, if it should be insisted upon, 
as I have heard it done, that, in this place, " the eter- 
nal life" should be understood as synonymous with 
the " knowledge of the true God and His Son the 
Messiah;" and therefore, as this knowledge is con- 
lined to the present world, so that life cannot be 
referred to the future world : Then, I would reply, 
that, even were the premises true — that " the life 
eternal" consists in the " knowledge of the true 
God and His Messiah," — still, the conclusion is 
very unjust: Because, if the life eternal consists in 
the saving knowledge of the Deity, then it will 
follow from that very fact, that the life itself can be 
now enjoyed but in part, and that its full fruition is 
reserved for the future world ; " for now we know 
(but) in part; but then shall we know even as also 
we are known." 



ARGUMENT SIXTH THIRD DIVISION. 303 

Acts xiii : 46. — " Said Paul and Barnabas to the 
Jews, Ye put the word of God from you, and judge 
yourselves unworthy of (r^ aiaviov £w^,) everlasting 
life;" or, emphatically, as in the preceding citation, 
the life eternal : unworthy of the blessings of grace 
in the present life — unworthy of the greater beati- 
tudes of the life to come. 

Ibid, xiii : 48. — "And as many as were ordained to 
(^(otjv aiuvbov,) eternal life, believed : " Being, accord- 
ing to the Divine order, happily disposed for the 
future and heavenly life, they readily received the 
sacred testimony. 

Rom. ii : 7. — " To them who, by patient continu- 
ance in well-doing, seek for glory, and honor, and 
immortality," — God will render — "(fw^ at«woi/,) 
eternal life." The sense is obvious. The believer 
"seeks for glory, honor, and immortality;" and 
God will grant him that for which he seeks. But 
in doing this, He will reward him with " eternal 
life." It follows, then, that "eternal life" is a 
blessed immortality. 

Ibid, v: 21. — "That as sin hath reigned unto 
death, even so might grace reign through right- 
eousness unto (£iaip aaovLov,) eternal life, by Jesus 
Christ our Lord." Sin reigned a monster; and its 
tyranny ended in death. Grace ascends the throne, 
and sways a milder and nobler scepter: "grace 
reigns," dispensing pardons to the guilty, and favors 
to the unworthy : and her matchless reign " through 
(the) righteousness " of Jesus, shall continue to the 
endless felicity of all her subjects. 

Ibid, vi: 22. — "Ye have your fruit unto holiness, 



304 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

and the end (fw?^ avwiov,) everlasting life." " Eter- 
nal life" is here distinguished from u holiness," 
which is the spiritual life of the Christian now ; 
and contrasted with "death," which is the "end" 
of sin. It therefore imports the future bliss of the 
saints. 

Ibid, vi: 23. — "For the wages of sin is death; 
but the gift of God is (fw*? aiuvio$,) eternal life," — in 
the sense just ascertained in the preceding verse. 

Gal. vi : 8. — " He that soweth to the flesh" — by 
seeking its gratifications, — " shall of the flesh reap 
corruption," — namely, perdition, its natural fruit; — 
"but he that soweth to the Spirit" — in all holy 
exercises and works, — " shall of the Spirit reap (C<^> 
cuuviov,) life everlasting," the legitimate fruit in the 
spiritual world. 

1 Tim. i : 16. — The apostle Paul was " a pattern 
to them who should believe on Christ to (gwfi a^w,) 
life everlasting : " Such is the end of our faith, the 
eternal bliss of the soul. 

Ibid, vi : 12. — "Fight the good fight of faith, lay 
hold on (t^s a^viov ?w^,) eternal life" — the life eter- 
nal, emphatically, in distinction from the present 
life. The spiritual prize-fighter, at the close of 
all his moral struggles, shall be crowned victor in 
eternal glory. See also, ver. 19. 

Tit. i: 2. — "In hope of (fa>^ otwwou,) eternal life." 
The "eternal life," in this passage, is not the present 
state of grace, now seen and enjoyed ; but the in- 
visible state of glory : " For," in the language of an 
apostle, " what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope 
for?"-- -Rom. viii: 24. 



ARGUMENT SIXTH THIRD DIVISION. 305 

Ibid, iii : 7. — "That — we should be made heirs 
according to the hope of (£q^ autviov,) eternal life." 
See above : Our heirship and our hope are just 
equal; they both respect and include eternal bliss. 

1 John i : 2. — " We have seen, and bear witness, 
and show unto you (t^ fco*^ t^v mmm,) that (very) 
eternal life" — the abstract being used for the con- 
crete, namely, the Author of eternal life and hap- 
piness — "which was with the Father" — in the 
beginning — "and was manifested unto us" — at 
His incarnation. 

Ibid, ii : 25. — "And this is the promise that he 
hath promised us, even (r^y g^ trjv aiuvtov,) (that 
very) eternal life," of which Christ is the author, 
and which shall be completed only at the final res- 
urrection ; certainly, nothing less than future and 
endless beatitude. 

Ibid, iii : 15. — " Ye know that no murderer hath 
(? urjv aciovLOY,) eternal life abiding in him ; " namely, 
the germ or first principle of " eternal life ; " or, 
this life in its incipient stage, as we have already 
explained. 

Ibid, v: 11. — "And this is the record, that God 
hath given to us (f co^v (umlov,) eternal life ; and this 
life is in his Son : " But the " life which is in the 
Son" is infinitely enduring. 

Ibid, v: 20. — "This" — namely, Jesus Christ — 

" is the true God, and ($ fco^ aiwios,) (the) eternal 

life," referred to above ; namely, " that eternal life 

which was with the Father" — the author of a 

blessed immortality. 

Jude 21. — "Keep yourselves in the love of God, 
26 



306 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto 
((ur { v avioviov — zoen aionion,) eternal life." But we 
neither look nor hope for what we have : but " we 
do look for the mercy of our God " to be more fully 
exhibited in the life to come, even to our perfect 
and endless beatitude. 

Thus, briefly, we have adverted to every passage 
in the New Testament, in which the phrase " eter- 
nal life" occurs; and from the examination, we 
may now deduce the following conclusions : That 
the phrase in question is never to be understood as 
importing simply a state of grace in the present 
life : That sometimes, however, it includes the state 
of grace in connection with that of glory — the 
complete beatitude of the people of God both in 
this world and the world to come : That, in many 
examples, it is necessarily confined to the future 
and endless felicity of the saints in another world : 
And that, in every case, it must be understood as 
including endless felicity. Such, then, is the gen- 
eral, the established, the uniform sense of the 
phrase, that of a blessed immortality : and, as the 
context never demands a different sense, the phrase, 
by fair construction, must always be received in 
accordance with this acceptation. 

But, the " punishment" of the wicked, put in con- 
trast with the " eternal " blessedness of the right- 
eous, and declared to be " everlasting," must be of 
equal duration : Because, " in antithetical language, 
one member of the antithesis should be understood 
with as great a latitude of meaning as the other." 



ARGUMENT SIXTH THIRD DIVISION. 307 

Therefore, as our Lord declares, in the passage 
under examination, that " these," the wicked, " shall 
go away into (anovcov — aionion,) everlasting punish- 
ment; but the righteous into life {anowov — aionion.) 
eternal;" it follows conclusively, that as in these 
words is taught the eternal beatitude of the right- 
eous, so likewise, with equal certainty and clear- 
ness, is denounced the never-ending misery of the 
wicked. If this "punishment" may end, then also, 
may that " life" expire; or, if the life be absolutely 
immortal, then the punishment will never end. The 
conclusion, in the one case, is just as certain as in 
the other. But the " eternal life," as we have fully 
demonstrated, imports the endless beatitude of the 
saints : Therefore, also, the " everlasting punish- 
ment" denotes the never-ending misery of the 
wicked. 

It now remains to be considered, Whether, in the 
connection of the present passage, (Matt, xxv : 46 :) 
there is anything demanding that (aiuvio$ — aionios,) 
eternal or everlasting as applied to " life " and to 
"punishment," be understood in a limited sense? 
If there be, then, just in this proportion, is the Ar- 
gument weakened and superseded : but if not, it 
stands in all its strength. 

But, indeed, in the present connection, not only 
is there nothing unfavorable to the unlimited sense 
of the word in question, but much to confirm it. 
The sentence of "everlasting punishment" is de- 
nounced against the wicked at the close of the 
present natural order of things, and at the final 



308 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

advent of the Messiah, — amid the proceedings of 
the last judgment. In proof of this proposition, 
we present the following reasons : 

1 . The questions propounded to our Lord by His 
disciples, demand such an interpretation : thus, 
"When shall these things be?" — namely, the total 
destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem — 
" and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of 
tri$ cvv*8%£ia$ tov auot/o*, (tes sunteleias tou aionos,) the 
end of the world?" — Matt, xxiv: 3. It is to these 
questions that our Lord responds in the remaining 
part of the 24th chapter, and the whole of the 25th. 
But now, that the present word, (awov — aion,) as 
used in the interrogation, is to be understood as it 
is rendered, " world," and not in the sense of Jewish 
age, (as contended by the advocates of universal 
salvation,) is obvious from the following very im- 
portant facts : That when this word is used in the 
latter sense — that of Jewish age — it is generally, 
if not always, found in the plural: — See 1 Cor. x : 
11; Heb. ix: 26, &c. But that, when it imports 
the present state or order of things — the present 
natural world — it uniformly occurs in the singular. — 
See Matt, xiii: 22; Mark iv: 19; Luke xvi: 8; xx: 
34; Rom. xii: 2; 1 Cor. i: 20; ii: 6, 8; iii: 18; 2 
Cor. iv: 4; Gal. i: 4; Eph. i: 21; 1 Tim. vi: 17; 
2 Tim. iv: 10; Tit. ii : 12. Now, as in Matthew, 
(xxiv: 3,) the word occurs, not in the plural, but in 
the singular, we are philologically bound to under- 
stand it, not in the sense of Jewish age, but as 
importing the present natural " world." 

It may be of importance to further remark, that, 



ARGUMENT SIXTH THIRD DIVISION. 309 

even admitting the word (cum — aion,) should, in 
this place, be understood in the sense of Jewish 
age ; still, as the Jews naturally associated the 
conclusion of that age in the total destruction of 
Jerusalem, with the end of the world; even so, the 
purport of the question concerning the conclusion 
of that age in so total a wreck, would be substan- 
tially the same with one concerning the end of the 
world ; namely, When shall be the consummation 
of all things ? Such being the case, it follows that 
our Lord's answer, to be properly adapted to the 
question, and to satisfy the minds of the apostles, 
should not only respect the siege and destruction 
of Jerusalem, including also the subversion of the 
Jewish commonwealth; but it should cover the 
whole ground of the inquiry, and give the disci- 
ples some clear and certain intelligence, as touch- 
ing the dissolution of the present " world," and 
His final advent to the Judgment. 

2. It is worthy of remark, that in the parallel 
passages of Mark xiii : 4, and Luke xxi : 7, the ques- 
tion concerning " the end of the world " is not pro- 
pounded, as in Matt, xxiv : 3 ; and, accordingly, no 
corresponding answer is given to such question in 
those places, as in Matt, xxv; especially the third 
division of that chapter. — vers. 31-46. This nat- 
ural division is just adapted, as an answer, to the 
question before propounded; (Matt, xxiv: 3;) while, 
at the same time, it fully and clearly represents 
our views of the final coming of the Messiah, and 
the end of the world. 

3. Another important consideration is, that 



310 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT, 

immediately upon the destruction of Jerusalem, 
"the kingdom of heaven," or visible church of 
Christ, is represented by the parables of the " ten 
virgins," and of the " talents." — Matt, xxv: 1 -30. 
Now, as to the time of the introduction of the 
gospel dispensation, we have already treated in 
a preceding Argument ; showing that it was in- 
troduced on the day of Pentecost. — See Acts ii : 
16-21. But as to the period of its fuller and more 
convincing manifestation, in the utter subversion 
of the Jewish polity, see Matt, xxiv: 32, 33; Mark 
xiii: 28, 29; Luke xxi: 28-31. Now, just after 
(or during,) the period of such" final dissolution, 
shall the Christian church appear under the para- 
bles above mentioned; thereby representing her 
earthly and militant state — a state of toil and 
probation — extending from the full development 
until the conclusion of the Christian dispensation. 
And then, both the " coming of the bridegroom to 
meet the virgins," and the " coming of the lord to 
reckon wdth his servants," will alike represent the 
final appearing of the Messiah to reckon with all 
nations. But as such a transaction, at the close 
of the present order of things, is one of the great- 
est importance and of the most superlative interest, 
nothing is more natural than that our Lord should 
give His disciples a clearer and fuller description 
of His final advent. This, accordingly, He does ; 
not, as before, under the figure of the " coming of 
the bridegroom," or that of the " coming of the 
lord to reckon with his servants concerning the 
talents : " But He does it in the simplest dress of 



to 



ARGUMENT SIXTH THIRD DIVISION. 311 

language, in a plain, yet most sublime description 
of His last advent. 

4. The description itself, in the concluding sec- 
tion of Matthew, (xxv: 31-46,) applies exclusively 
to the final coming of our Lord to judgment. This 
will be very obvious as we glance over the passage : 

" When the Son of man shall come in his glory, 
and all the holy angels with Him," — not the Roman 
legions, as there is no authority for calling them the 
holy angels ; "then shall He sit" — in judgment — 
"upon the throne of his glory:" His " great white 
throne" visible to the whole creation. " And before 
Him shall be gathered all nations," — and not some 
of them only, as at the destruction of Jerusalem ; 
u and He shall separate them one from another, as 
a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats." if 
it be here objected, that the language cannot refer 
to the last judgment, because the separation men- 
tioned is national ; I reply, to say nothing as to the 
weakness of the objection, the national character 
of the separation — if national it be — may be urged 
with equal force against its application to the dis- 
tinction made between the righteous and the wicked 
at the destruction of Jerusalem. But in either case, 
indeed, the " sheep," representing the righteous, are 
gathered from among the nations ; from among 
some of the nations, however, at the time of Jeru- 
salem's calamity; but, at "the end of the world," 
from among " all nations." "And He shall set the 
sheep on his right hand," exalting them to honor; 
" but the goats on the left," sentencing them to 
shame and contempt. It is further worthy of 



312 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

remark, that among the Jews, the "right hand" 
was the symbol oi paradise ; the " left," of hell ; 
the former was given to the Jews ; the latter, to 
the Gentiles. According to the Romans, the right 
hand directed to Elysium ; the left, to Tartaros : 
The right hand was the emblem of endless felicity; 
the left hand, of endless misery. — vers. 31-33. 
Accordingly, 

" Then shall the King say unto them on His right 
hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the 
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of 
the world." The saints, now, are but heirs ; but, 
at the period of which our Lord speaks, they shall 
" inherit," that is, possess, "the kingdom." The 
Judge upon the throne now assigns the reason, or 
states the principle upon which He proceeds in ad- 
ministering judgment: "For I was an hungered, and 
ye gave me meat : I was thirsty, and ye gave me 
drink : I was a stranger, and ye took me in : Naked, 
and ye clothed me : I was sick, and ye visited me : 
I was in prison, and, ye came unto me." Let it 
not be here objected, that, by referring the lan- 
guage to the final reckoning, the righteous shall be 
adjudged to the heavenly reward on the ground of 
personal merit : for, though it be true, that they 
shall attain to their ultimate felicity according to 
their works ; yet not by reason of their works : ac- 
cording to their works, evidentially, but not merito- 
riously. Besides, the same objection would militate 
w r ith equal, if not greater, strength against the in- 
terpretation which makes the " kingdom" denote the 
dispensation of grace : Because, if man, having the 



ARGUMENT SIXTH THIRD DIVISION. 313 

life of grace, cannot merit the kingdom of glory; 
much less, being totally dead, can he merit the dis- 
pensation of grace. But the blessed disclaim all 
merit in the case : "Then shall the righteous answer 
Him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, 
and fed thee ? or thirsty, and gave thee drink ? 
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in ? or 
naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, 
or in prison, and came unto thee ? " But works of 
mercy and charity done to the disciples, are reck- 
oned as if done to their Master: "And the King shall 
answer and say unto them, Verily, I say unto you, In- 
asmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of 
these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Such, 
and upon a principle so just, will be the final acquittal 
and full acceptance of the righteous. — vers. 34-40. 

Next is denounced the doom of the wicked : 
" Then shall He, the King, say also unto them on 
the left hand, depart from me, ye cursed, into {to 
aiuvLov,) (the) everlasting fire, prepared for the devil 
and his angels." — ver. 41. 

Now, it has been proved, under a preceding Ar- 
gument, that, according to the language of inspira- 
tion, " God spared not" even " the" holy " angels " 
of heaven, "that sinned, but cast them down to 
hell" — Tartaros, the torments of which never end — 
" and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be 
reserved unto judgment;" (2 Pet. ii: 4;) to receive 
their doom at a period beyond which is no hope of 
reprieve. Or, as elsewhere attested : " The an- 
gels" — the holy and heavenly spirits — "which kept 

not their first estate, but left their own habitation, 

27 



314 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

he hath reserved in (<u8«>t$ — aidiois,) everlasting 
chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the 
great day." — Jude 6. "The angels that sinned, 
and kept not their first estate" — the fallen spirits, 
including their apostate chief — now constitute "the 
devil and his angels." These latter, then, are 
doomed to "Tartaros," the place of never-ending 
woe : There they are bound "in (cu,S«m,) everlasting 
chains : " There they suffer "(auoiw,) everlasting- 
fire." It is also worthy of remark, that ((uwwoj — 
aionios,) everlasting, in Matthew, as it is applied to 
the same thing, virtually, though in different lan- 
guage; so it has the same sense and the same force 
with (cu$to$ — aidios,) in Jude ; which latter word, as 
we have proved, signifies, strictly and energetically* 
never-ending, eternal as God. Such, then, must be 
the sense of "(»&«>*>***&) everlasting" in this place. — 
Matt, xxv: 41. But the wicked are doomed to this 
very punishment, with " the devil and his angels : " 
Down to " Tartaros," where the torments are eter- 
nal : " In (acbiots,) everlasting chains" — chains eter- 
nal as God : To be cast " into (aw^o*,) everlasting 
fire," to be punished at the judgment. Therefore, 
apart from all other evidence, the misery of the 
wicked must continue for ever. 

Bat the Judge assigns the reason of this dreadful 
sentence : " For I was an hungered, and ye gave me 
no meat : I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink : 
I was a stranger, and ye took me not in : naked, 
and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye 
visited me not." But this the wicked will not be 
willing to admit; and therefore, "Then shall they 



ARGUMENT SIXTH THIRD DIVISION- 315 

also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee 
an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or 
sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?" 
But the Messiah shall vindicate, and show before 
assembled worlds, the rectitude of His judgment: 
" Then shall He answer them saying, Verily I say 
unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of the 
least of these, (my brethren,) ye did it not to me." 
Such will be the equity of the King's judicial pro- 
ceedings : The Messiah is so identified with His 
people, that any negligence shown to them, is reck- 
oned as if done to Himself. — vers. 42-45. 

And now it is finally added in reference to both 
parties, the righteous and the wicked : " And 
these" — the wicked last mentioned — "shall go 
away into everlasting punishment : but the right- 
eous into life eternal." — ver. 46. 

It has, however, been objected under this head, 
that after all, the description cannot belong to the 
final advent of the Messiah, because no mention is 
made of the resurrection. But I reply, that the 
leaving out of a particular circumstance is no evi- 
dence of its non-existence. One circumstance of 
a transaction may be mentioned by one author, and 
another by a different one : and the same person 
may narrate some things in a transaction at one 
time, reserving others for a different narration. 
Both these methods are observed by the inspired 
penmen. We should give examples were the 
character of the objection such as to justify. (Be- 
sides, even had the resurrection of the dead been 



316 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

mentioned, we should, to be sure, have been under 
the necessity of interpreting it to mean the moral 
renovation ! ) 

It has been further objected, that the advent 
described in Matt, xxv: 31-46, must be the same 
with that predicted in the preceding chapter — xxiv: 
30, 31. "And then" — namely, upon the total dis- 
solution of the Jewish ecclesiastical state — " shall 
appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven : And 
He shall send His angels with a great sound of a 
trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect 
from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the 
other." But in the passage last adverted to, our 
Lord very evidently refers to the period of Jeru- 
salem's downfall : (ver. 34 :) and therefore, it is 
maintained, the advent predicted in the 25th chap- 
ter, must also be confined to the same period. 

But the conclusion is not just : indeed, the pre- 
mises are false. The two advents described are not 
necessarily the same. In the 24th Chapter, (v. 31,) 
the " angels," simply, are mentioned ; in the 25th, 
" all the holy angels : " in the former, they are rep- 
resented as being " sent;" in the latter, as "coming 
with Him : " on the former occasion, the " elect are 
gathered together;" on the latter, "all nations 
stand before Him : " those are assembled by the 
"sound of (the gospel) trumpet;" these, at the 
Messiah's personal bidding — Arise, ye dead, and 
come to judgment. The sense of the former pas- 
sage seems to be : " That Christ should commission 
His apostles and ministers to announce the mes- 
sage of mercy to all nations, and that by His Spirit 



ARGUMENT SIXTH THIRD DIVISION. 317 

they should be enabled to bring sinners into a pure 
and spiritual society under His own moral reign." 
The sense of the latter passage is : " That all man- 
kind, either raised from the dead, or changed while 
as yet living upon the earth, shall be summoned by 
the universal King Messiah to stand before his tri- 
bunal, and there, in presence of all his attending 
ministers, to receive their final sentence, whether of 
bliss or woe." Indeed, the former passage, while, 
according to its primary sense, it imports the disso- 
lution of the Jewish state and the erection of the 
kingdom of Christ, may also admit of a secondary 
application in His final advent to the judgment. 

But it has been urged, that the advent of Christ 
to a judgment as general as that which is described 
in Matt, xxv: 31 -46, is elsewhere confined to the 
age of the apostles: thus, "For the Son of man 
shall come in the glory of His Father, with His 
angels; and then he shall reward every man ac- 
cording to his works. Verily, I say unto you 
There be some standing here which shall not taste 
of death, till they see the Son of man coming in 
his kingdom." — Matt, xvi : 27, 28, compared with 
Mark viii : 38 ; ix : 1 ; Luke ix : 26, 27. Thus, it 
is maintained that our Lord first announces the 
general judgment, and then assures the apostles 
that it should be witnessed during the lifetime of 
some that were then present. 

The objection, thus presented, seems plausible; 
but it proceeds upon a false view of the passage. 
Our Lord, indeed, first announces a general judg- 
ment, but then, instead of assuring His disciples 



318 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

that it should take place during the lifetime of 
some that were then living, He simply confirms 
the fact by a certain and convincing pledge. The 
sense, and the connection of the two verses may be 
perspicuously presented thus : " The Son of man 
shall come in the glory of His Father, with all the 
holy angels, at His final advent; and then shall He 
render a just reward, to every man, both saint and 
sinner. And, as a proof and earnest of this, there 
are some standing here who shall not taste of death, 
till they see the Messiah's mediatorial and judiciary 
power exemplified in the dissolution of the Jewish 
state, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the full 
establishment of His own moral empire." Thus, 
the sense of each verse is natural, and the connec- 
tion between the tw r o is obvious. 

It follows conclusively, then, that the description 
in Matt, xxv: 31 -46, must be referred to the final 
advent of Christ. 

5. The exposition above given is in perfect har- 
mony with all other Scriptural representations of 
the last coming of our Saviour and Judge. It is 
sufficient to present an example or two. At the 
time of our Lord's ascension, when a cloud received 
him out of the sight of His disciples ; even while 
they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went 
up, behold, two men stood by them in shining ap- 
parel; which also said, — "this same Jesus, which is 
taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like 
manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." — 
Acts i : 10, 11. Our triumphant Messiah ascended 
to His throne on high, through the regions of the 



ARGUMENT SIXTH THIRD DIVISION. 319 

air, in the body which had been prepared for Him, 
and in a visible manner ; the apostles themselves 
being eye-witnesses. But saith the evangelist, "He 
shall so come in like manner as He ascended" — 
visibly, and bodily, down through the serial heavens. 
Thus He came not, at the descent of the Holy Spirit. 
Thus He came not, at the time of Jerusalem's visi- 
tation. Thus, even until now, He has not yet come. 
But thus He shall come, if God be true and His 
witnesses faithful. Let one more example suffice : 
"But every man" — at the resurrection of the dead 
shall be — " in his own order ; Christ the first-fruits ; 
afterward they that are Christ's at His coming." — 
1 Cor.xv: 23. Itis admitted by all, that the apostle is 
here treating of the physical resurrection of man : 
but he mentions this as a work to be done " at the 
coming of Christ : " it must be His final advent. — 
See also, 2 Thess. i : 7 - 10 ; 2 Pet. iii : 3 - 13 ; Rev. 
xx: 11 - 15. 

It is needless to object, that Christ is sometimes 
represented as " coming at the destruction of Jeru- 
salem : " for this is readily granted. But if His 
coming at that period, prove that in the present 
passage, (Matt, xxv,) the " coming " cannot refer 
to His last appearing; then, by parity of reason- 
ing, the fact, that He will yet come, must also 
prove, in any case where the statement is made, 
that it cannot refer to His coming to destroy Jeru- 
salem ; which would be absurd. The truth is, the 
Messiah is represented as coming at different times. 
He came in the miraculous effusion of the Spirit 
on the day of Pentecost. He came also at the 



820 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

time of the dissolution of the Jewish polity. He 
comes, indeed, in any very signal visitation of 
Divine Providence : thus He comes at death. But 
in the most general and important sense — in the 
most emphatic sense — He is yet to come in the 
last day to judge the world. Now, from the fact, 
that in some places, we are to understand the Mes- 
siah's advent in one specific sense, we must not 
infer that the same sense should be attached to it 
in others. But, on the contrary, the connection, in 
most cases, will decide as to the sense in which 
we should understand the " coming of our Lord." 
And if, in some cases, we are bound to understand 
" His coming," to denote His presence and agency 
in the destruction of Jerusalem, when the connec- 
tion so demands ; then, upon the same principle, 
the context so demanding, we are equally bound to 
interpret His coming, in other places, to mean His 
final advent. 

But in the connection of the present passage, 
(Matt, xxv : 46,) the " coming of the Son of Man " 
must necessarily refer to His final advent. This 
we have proved from the fact, that it will take place 
at the end of the present natural world, and at the 
conclusion of the Christian dispensation : — Proved 
also from the description itself, (Matt, xxv: 31-46,) 
which cannot apply to any other transaction ; and 
finally from the coincidence between this description 
and others which are known and universally ad- 
mitted to belong exclusively to the final advent. 

It is therefore abundantly obvious that the 
sentence of " everlasting punishment," as here 



ARGUMENT SIXTH THIRD DIVISION. 321 

represented, is to be denounced against the wicked 
at the close of the present natural order of things, 
and at the final advent of the Messiah, — amid the 
proceedings of the last judgment. 

Let us now sum up the Argument : 

We have shown that the " everlasting punish- 
ment " of the wicked is contrasted with the " eter- 
nal life" of the righteous. — Matt, xxv : 46. 

But it has been proved that this latter phrase — 
"eternal life" — is, in the New Testament, used 
only in the sense of endless felicity. 

Again : We have proved that this sentence — of 
everlasting punishment — will be denounced against 
the wicked at the last tribunal of the Messiah, at 
His final advent.— Matt, xxv: 31-46. 

But beyond that period, as has elsewhere been 
shown, is no hope of reprieve : simply because, 
the judgment of that day will be final. 

And lastly : We have proved that this punish- 
ment is " the everlasting fire prepared for the devil 
and his angels " — fallen spirits with their apostate 
chief. — ver. 41. 

But, as w^e have elsewhere shown by many 
convincing arguments, the torments of the fallen 
angels will be (at§to^ — aidios,) eternal. — Jude 6. 

Now, any one of these reasons is amply suffi- 
cient to prove the doctrine of endless misery: 
thus, 1. The word used to qualify the duration 
of the punishment (oucovios — aionios,) everlasting 
never-ending, proves that it must be endless, apart 
from any other consideration : because, the term, 



322 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

as used in the New Testament in reference to 
the future, always imports eternal endurance. 

2. Apart from the native significance of this word, 
the antithesis used is an ample reason : because, 
if the "eternal life" import never-ending felicity, 
then, the opposite of this must be eternal misery. 

3. The same is naturally deduced from the period 
when it is to be inflicted : because, though the pun- 
ishment should not be qualified by any word im- 
porting eternity, nor contrasted with eternal felicity; 
yet misery inflicted at the final judgment will never 
end. 4. And finally, aside from all other consid- 
erations, the simple fact, that the " punishment " 
of the wicked will be the same with that which 
shall be inflicted upon " the devil and his angels," — 
is all-sufficient to demonstrate the doctrine : be- 
cause, the torments of fallen angels in " Tartaros" 
w r ill be eternal as the throne of God. 

But in the Argument as here presented, we have 
not any one of the above-mentioned reasons, ab- 
stractly : we have them all combined : — At the final 
judgment, as the Messiah awards to His people 
endless beatitude, He turns against the wicked, 
and adjudges them to be tormented with apostate 
spirits throughout a never-ending period : and still 
he adds, " And these" — the wicked — "shall go 
away into everlasting punishment: but the right- 
eous into life eternal." 

The conclusion is fairly and logically estab- 
lished — - clear as the light, and written with the 
sun-beam of truth — That the future punishment of 
the wicked will be eternal" 



FOURTH DIVISION. 



" And the smoke of their torment," the torment of those 
who worship the beast and his image, " ascendeth up for ever 
and ever." — Rev. xiv : 11. 

" And her smoke," namely, that of Babylon the great, " rose 
up for ever and ever." — Ibid, xix : 3. 

" And the devil that deceived them," namely, the nations 
of Gog and Magog, — " was cast into the lake of lire and 
brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and 
shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." — 
Ibid, xx : 10. 

It will be perceived from the Scriptural testi- 
monies now presented for examination, that the 
same word is used to express duration as w r as em- 
ployed in the First Division of this Argument. 
The only difference is in the manner in which the 
word is used. Under the head just referred to, it 
is taken singly : under the present head, it is redu- 
plicated. Such is the difference in the English 
version ; and such, precisely, is the corresponding 
difference in the original. In the first of the pas- 
sages, the phraseology is &$ (uwv&s av&vw, (eis aionas 
aionon;) in the other two, gc§ tov$ attorn^ ?w &&<*»&», 
(eis tous aionas ton aionon,) "for ever and ever." 

The reduplication is intended to express inten- 
siveness. We have already seen that the simple 



324 



DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 



structure — sis tints auo^as, or ttj iov a^wi/a, (eis tous 
aionas, or eis ton aiona,) for ever, is used in the 
New Testament to import duration without end ; 
and that it corresponds precisely with the English 
phrase by which it is rendered. The reduplication, 
also, in Greek and English, exactly corresponds in 
sense. Etj tov$ ano^a? tuv (uwvwv, (eis tous aionas ton 
aionon,) expressed the same intensiveness in the 
ear of a Greek, that for ever and ever does to an 
English scholar. They both import endless dura- 
tion in the most energetic manner. The simple 
structure in both languages, conveys the sense of 
perpetual endurance with clearness and precision : 
the compound one adds a cogency never to be 
resisted. If, then, the former mode of expression, 
applied to punishment, proves it to be endless; then 
the latter mode, thus applied, should place the 
matter beyond all further controversy. It would 
seem, indeed, that this one consideration quite 
supersedes the necessity of other arguments. We 
proceed, however, after our usual method, to ascer- 
tain and establish the meaning of the phraseology 
in question from its general usage in the Sacred 
Scriptures. 

We propose, then, to illustrate and confirm the 
following position: That the phraseology now be- 
fore us — ■ s i$ tovs (uavas T?av atwvcov, (eis tous aionas ton 
aionon,) for ever and ever — as used in the New 
Testament, uniformly and intensively signifies end- 
less duration. Such is its certain and only import 
when, as in all the following examples, it is applied 
to the Deity : 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FOURTH DIVISION. 325 

Gal. i : 5. — " To whom (God the Father) be glory 
ft* tov$ acwi/a* tov auoi/cjy, (eis tous aionas ton aionon,) for 
ever and ever. Amen." This ascription of " glory " 
is founded on the work of redemption ; and con- 
sequently, it will be continued through all eternity. 

Eph. iii : 21. — "Unto Him (Jehovah,) be glory 
in the church by Christ Jesus *&$ 7taoa$ *a$ yewa* rov 
acavos ttov aiuvtov, (eis pasas tas geneas tou aionos 
ton aionon,) throughout all ages, world without 
end," as the English version ; a peculiar and ani- 
mated expression ; signifying, according to Bloom- 
field, " through the succession of all generations, 
unto the latest period of eternity : " through the 
successive generations of this world, and the eter- 
nal ages of the world to come : or, perhaps, more 
literally, throughout all the generations of an infi- 
nite eternity: that is, comparing the inhabitants 
of the future world with the generations of this, 
throughout the infinite, unending period of those 
immortal spirits who inhabit that eternal world : 
through the whole period of a duration so vast and 
so divine, shall the " glory " of our redemption in 
the church triumphant, be ascribed to God through 
Jesus Christ. 

Phil, iv: 20. — " Now unto God and our Father 
be glory (sis ?ov$ <ucova$ tw atwvwv 4 ) for ever and ever. 
Amen." Strictly and intensively, throughout an 
infinite eternity ; for during such a period will 
continue the ascription of praise. 

2 Tim. iv : 18. — " To whom (the Lord) be glory 
(«$ tovs auoms t&v aicovcov,) for ever and ever. — Amen." 
The same as above. 



326 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

Heb. i : 8. — "Thy throne, O God, is (**$ iov <u»i/a 
*qv aiuvos,) for ever and ever." Here, however, it 
is objected, that the "throne" of the Messiah shall 
end, — that "He shall deliver up the kingdom to 
God, even the Father," (1 Cor. xv : 24,) at His final 
advent; and, consequently, that the phraseology 
before us, must, in this place, be understood in the 
sense of limited duration. To this I reply : That 
though His economical or mediatorial kingdom 
at the close of the present order of things, be 
delivered up into the hands of His Father, " that 
God may be all in all;" yet, as the coeternal Son, 
His absolute dominion over the creation shall still 
continue : this shall endure through all eternity. 
Now the apostle, in the present passage, speaks of 
Christ in His Divine Sonship, rather than in His 
mediatorial character ; though these two aspects 
of the same August Person are somewhat combined 
in the apostle's discourse. However, he proves the 
superiority of " the Son " over " the angels." But 
that this superiority does not consist in any official 
preeminence, but in the divinity and supreme dig- 
nity of His nature, is evident from the whole scope 
of the argument. The apostle asserts the Son's 
right to angelic worship ; (ver. 6 ;) exhibits the 
omnipotence of His power in the work of creation; 
(ver. 10;) and evidently teaches His immutability 
and proper eternity: (ver. 12:) — attributes and 
prerogatives ascribed to none but the Lord JEHO- 
VAH. Yet, in the midst of this sublime represen- 
tation of the Deity, we find the words applied to 
Him in the person of the Son : " Thy throne, O 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FOURTH DIVISION. 327 

God, is for ever and ever." Now, who dare say, 
that the throne of Him " whom angels worship " — 
the throne of our Creator — the throne of the 
Immutable and Eternal One, " whose years fail 
not;" — that His awful and majestic throne will 
fall? But the objection might be as satisfactorily 
answered by presenting a different view : — The 
apostle having first represented the Father as ad- 
dressing the Son, the Anointed King, as touching 
the duration of His " throne," (ver. 8,) immedi- 
ately after exhibits the Father as speaking further 
to His Son, thus : " Thou, Lord, in the beginning 
hast laid the foundation of the earth ; and the 
heavens are the work of Thy hands : They shall 
perish, but thou remainest ; and they all shall wax 
old as doth a garment : And as a vesture shalt 
thou fold them up, and they shall be changed," at 
the final dissolution of the present mundane sys- 
tem : " but thou art the same" — thy throne, thy 
scepter, thy crown, all the symbols, and all the 
realities, of universal empire, are the same with 
thee — "and thy years shall have no end." — ver. 
10-12, compared with Psal. cii : 25-27. Al- 
though, as Mediator, then, Christ will, in the last 
day, " deliver up the kingdom to God, even the 
Father" — resign His mediatorial commission, and 
close the gospel dispensation ; yet His throne, as 
the Son of God, shall still endure, firm and unsha- 
ken amid the wreck of empires ; unmoved, amid 
the crash of the falling heavens. The Son, seated 
upon His throne, shall see the material creation 
shattered and crumbling at His footstool : He 



328 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

shall Himself superintend the dreadful catastrophe ; 
and, gathering up the broken fragments, and form- 
ing them anew, " He shall fold them up like a ves- 
ture in His hands," and rebuild the heavens and 
the earth. Now, say, that the throne of Messiah 
shall fall in that day. (Rather, let my tongue be 
hushed in perpetual silence.) All else, indeed, 
shall be moved : but the Son Himself, high seated, 
shall be the Infinite Superintending Agent. His 
throne will endure for ever and ever. 

Ibid, xiii: 21. — "To whom," namely, the God of 
peace, "be glory (ft? *ov$ atwwj *<w awovui/,) for ever 
and ever. Amen." This doxology will be of the 
same duration as above ; as also in the two fol- 
lowing examples. 

1 Pet. iv : 11 . — " To whom (God the Father, as 
is probable,) be praise and dominion (ft? tov$ twams 
*w at^wi/,) for ever and ever. Amen." 

Ibid, v: 11.— "To him," the God of all grace, 
" be glory and dominion (ac* twj atcom? tw ***&*-,) for 
ever and ever. Amen." 

Rev. i : 6.—" To him," the Messiah, " be glory 
and dominion (ft? -tov$ atu>m? tuw atw^wv,) for ever and 
ever. Amen." Here the doxology is to the Son: 
but the glory of human redemption shall be ascribed 
to the Son through all eternity, as truly as to the 
Father. 

Ibid, i: 18. — "I," saith the Incarnate One, "am 
he that liveth, and was dead ; and, behold, I am 
alive (ft? t'ou? ®wwa$ top atwywi/,) for evermore, Amen," 
as our version ; but, literally, the same as in the 
other examples — "I am alive for ever and ever." 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FOURTH DIVISION. 329 

Thus speaks the Living One, " who hath life in 
Himself," — who in connection with our nature 
once died, — who returned in triumph from the 
dominion of death with the "keys" of the invisible 
world, — " who only hath immortality:" He, em- 
phatically, lives for ever and ever. 

Ibid, iv: 9, 10. — "And when those beasts give 
glory, and honor, and thanks, to him that sat on 
the throne," the thrice holy Lord God Almighty, 
" who liveth (*&$ ?ov$ atu>va$ tw awoi/tti/,) for ever and 
ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before 
him that sat on the throne, and worship him that 
liveth (sis tovs aicovas *cov cuuvw,) for ever and ever.' 5 
The sense is obvious : the life of the infinite Jeho- 
vah is absolutely eternal. 

Ibid, v: 13, 14. — "And I heard every creature, 
saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, 
be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto 
the Lamb, (ft? *ov$ ouwvaj tu>v auovcov,) for ever and 
ever." Such is the eternal ascription of praise to 
" God " the Father, and the " Lamb" that was slain. 
" And the four beasts said, Amen. And the [four 
and twenty] elders fell down and worshiped [him 
that liveth (si$ -tov$ <wwi/a$ tw atwur,) for ever and 
ever]. So much of the reading as is thought doubt- 
ful in this passage, I have thrown into brackets. 

Ibid, vii : 12. — To the sublime chorus of "Sal- 
vation to God and the Lamb," sung by saints in 
heaven, the angels around the throne respond, 
" Saying, Amen : Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, 
and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, 
be unto our God {?m *ov$ av^vas tu>v accovcov,) for ever 
28 



330 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

and ever. Amen." While the ransomed of Jeho- 
vah shall chant endless honors to the ever-blessed 
Trinity ; all other holy and happy intelligences of 
the heavenly world shall sing an eternal doxology to 
God, their Creator and Benefactor. 

Ibid, x : 6. — " The mighty angel," even the Mes- 
siah, the angel of the covenant, as would seem from 
the description, — " lifting up his hand to heaven? 
sware by him that liveth («*$ *ov$ mw&$ iw auovcov,) 
for ever and ever." The sense the same as above : 
Jehovah, and He alone, in the absolute sense, lives 
through all eternity. 

Ibid, xi : 15. — " And the seventh angel sounded; 
and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The 
kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms 
of our Lord, and of his Christ ; and he shall reign 
(«s -tovc. atcovas to>v owwvwi/,) for ever and ever:" Not 
only during the millenial ages, but through an in- 
finite eternity; for "of his kingdom there shall be 
no end." 

Ibid, xv : 7. — The seven angels, as ministers of 
Divine vengeance, are commissioned " to pour out 
upon the earth the vials of the wrath of God, who 
liveth (ei$ tov$ cuojva$ -tup tuc&mv,) for ever and ever : " 
through all eternity, as above. 

In the only remaining passage the phraseology 
is applied to the blessedness of the righteous : 

Rev. xxii: 5. — "And there shall be no night there; 
and they need no candle, neither light of the sun ; 
for the Lord God giveth them light : and they shall 
reign (ft? <t&v$ atcovas tujv (uwj/wv,) for ever and ever." 
This being the last passage in the New Testament, 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FOURTH DIVISION. 331 

in which we find the phraseology under considera- 
tion ; and the only one in which it is applied to the 
future felicity of the saints ; the mind becomes the 
more desirous to ascertain the precise import of the 
expression. Now, that its proper and only import 
is that of endless duration is very evident from the 
following considerations : 1. The duration of the 
saints' celestial reign in the heavenly city seems 
contrasted with that which shall continue through 
the millennial reign on earth. — Rev. xx : 4. The 
saints before the close of time, " shall reign with 
Christ a thousand years : " beyond that period, 
" they shall reign with him for ever and ever." 
2. The description given of their state, applies ex- 
clusively to the heavenly world : " There shall be no 
night there," that is, in heaven, the New Jerusalem — 
no darkness, no gloom, no sorrow: here is a constant 
succession of day and night, of prosperity and ad- 
versity. " And they need no candle, neither light 
of the sun" — their bright, unclouded day will not 
be of the solar kind : " For the Lord God giveth 
them light;" and the beams of His countenance 
are brighter than a thousand suns. According to 
the sublime vision of the same prophet elsewhere, 
"And the city," the new Jerusalem, " had no need 
of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it ; for 
the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is 
the light thereof." — xxi : 23. The whole descrip- 
tion throughout proves the blessed and honorable 
state to be beyond the bourn of time — in the eter- 
nal world. 3. The phraseology is here used at the 
close of all the prophetic representations of the 



332 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

destinies of the church. Her history and her travels 
along the barren lands of earth, are distinctly traced 
through the long vista of prophetic vision, even 
down to the farthest verge of time : and now, 
heaven and earth recede : the sea itself is no more : 
a new order of creation succeeds to the old : the 
saints arise unhurt from the ruins of earth : they 
enter with triumph the holy city of God : here they 
are destined to live in the light of the Lord for 
ever : and now, the last words of the vision in due 
order drop from the prophet's lips : " And they shall 
reign for ever and ever" — through all eternity. 

We have now examined every passage in which 
the phraseology before us occurs in the New Tes- 
tament. It is used in all, I believe, twenty-two 
times. 

It is applied, if I mistake not, thirteen times to 
God the Father : of which, five times, to express 
the eternity of His vital existence ; and eight times, 
in sublime doxologies, sung by harps of men and 
angels, to illustrate the eternity of His dominion, 
power, and glory. 

It is applied four times to the Son : once to His 
(vital) existence, which is necessarily eternal; once 
to that " throne " of His, which awes the whole 
creation ; once to His " reign " which shall flourish 
when time and nature shall end; and once in a 
sublime anthem of praise, ascribing eternal do- 
minion to the Divine Messiah. 

It is once applied to the Father and the Son 
in common, in a matchless hymn of universal 
praise; in which the wide creation joins in ascribing 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FOURTH DIVISION. 333 

endless " glory to Him that sitteth upon the throne, 
and unto the Lamb." 

Once it is applied to the future beatitude of the 
saints. 

And, finally, thrice it is applied to the future tor- 
ments of the wicked. 

Now, then, from the foregoing examination, it 
follows that nineteen times the phraseology must 
be understood in the sense of eternal duration. 
This is its uniform and only meaning in the New 
Testament. This it signifies most intensively. It 
is never used in any other sense. Not one excep- 
tion to the general rule have we found in the Sacred 
Oracles. The certain, specific, and intensive signifi- 
cation is that of never-ending duration. 

Therefore it follows, that, as this same phraseol- 
ogy is applied three times to the future torments 
of the wicked, The conclusion is certain — all other 
things being equal — those torments will never end. 
Such is the conclusion at which we necessarily 
arrive, according to the purest and most acknowl- 
edged principles of philology : nor can we deduce 
a different conclusion. 

But still, there are objections, (!) to which we 
must attend. 

1. It is objected that in some of the scriptural 
testimonies set down at the head of this Division 
of the Argument, the present and past tenses are 
used instead of the future : and therefore the 
phraseology as rendered for ever and ever, should 
not be understood in reference to eternity future. 



334 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

It might suffice to remark, in answer, that God, 
with whose Infinite Mind is ever present the vast- 
ness of all duration, " calleth those things w^hich 
are not, as though they were." But what is more 
common in the prophetic writings, than to speak 
in the present tense, or even the past,, when uttering 
predictions to be fulfilled after the lapse of many 
centuries? It would be a waste of time to offer 
examples. The objection is frail and short-sighted. 

2. It is further objected that the punishment 
denounced must be inflicted in the present world ; 
because mention is made of the succession of " day 
and night." 

But this phraseology simply imports continuity 
as distinguished from perpetuity. The language 
throughout — " day and night, for ever and ever " — 
denotes continually, to all eternity. The former 
expression signifies that the thing of which it is 
affirmed will be without intermission ; the latter, 
that it will be without end ; and the two combined 
import uninterrupted, eternal duration. 

But that the phrase in question — " day and 
night" — means without intermission, is plain from 
the following example : " Therefore are they before 
the throne of God, and serve Him day and night 
in His temple." — Rev. vii : 15. This is affirmed 
of the " great multitude which no man could num- 
ber, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and 
tongues, which stood before the throne, and before 
the Lamb." And that the pure devotions in which 
they are represented as being engaged, are per- 
formed in the spiritual and eternal world, is suffi- 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FOURTH DIVISION. 335 

ciently obvious : — They are spoken of as " arrayed 
in white robes, and palms in their hands." — ver. 9. 
If the "white robe" symbolize sanctification, as 
well as acceptance with God; then it denotes such 
a state of moral purity as the innumerable multi- 
tude attain not to in the present life : and wiiereas 
the "palm" is the emblem of victory complete and 
final, the full import cannot be realized but in 
the future world. The Church is now engaged in 
actual warfare with the powers of darkness ; and 
the moral struggle will continue until she obtain 
a full victory over sin and death : then, and then 
only, shall she wave the " palm," and sing the tri- 
umph. That grand and devotional assembly are 
further described as " having come out of great 
tribulation;" ( ver. 14, ) which happily represents 
the transition of the saints from this vale of sorrows 
to the mount of heavenly beatitude. Also: "They 
shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore" — they 
shall be perfectly free from infirmity, destitution, and 
want. " Neither shall the sun light on them, nor 
any heat " — they shall be delivered from persecution, 
and every kind of affliction. — ver. 16. " And God 
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes" — He 
shall remove all sorrow from their hearts. — ver. 17. 
We thus perceive that in the present passage, 
(Rev. vii : 15,) as is obvious from the whole con- 
nection, the prophet describes the state and devo- 
tions of the saints in the heavenly world ; and yet, 
to show that it is without intermission, he uses the 
phrase "day and night." But if the expression be 
thus applied to the uninterrupted devotions of the 



336 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

blessed in heaven ; its application may be made 
with equal propriety to the future torments of the 
wicked : and if in the former case, it denotes dura- 
tion without intermission ; so does it in the latter. 
The saints " shall serve Him day and night" — con- 
tinually, and " reign for ever and ever : " they shall 
be thus blessed without intermission and without 
end : And, in like manner, the wicked " shall be 
tormented day and night " — continually — " for 
ever and ever : " plainly, without intermission and 
without end. The objection proves nothing. I 
have confidence that I shall be pardoned for men- 
tioning such objections, however futile they may 
seem, as I myself have heard insisted upon strongly 
by prominent teachers of universal salvation. 

The Argument now, under the present head, as- 
sumes, truly, a conclusive character. The phrase- 
ology by which the " torments " of the wicked 
are qualified, signifies nothing less than, inten- 
sively, infinite, never-ending endurance ; and this, 
without exception: and the objections to the con- 
trary, by nature feeble, or as if born out of due 
time, as soon as presented, fall prostrate and harm- 
less. The presence of dead bodies from the ene- 
my's ranks strown around, is one of the pledges 
of victory. This would seem sufficient. 

But if, beyond all this, there were other and special 
reasons for assigning to the phraseology in question 
("for ever and ever") the sense of infinite, eternal 
endurance, — then should the Argument seem more 
than victorious : it would appear triumphant. 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FOURTH DIVISION. 337 

Bat such, precisely, is the case. Now, in the 
very connection in which the phraseology — u$ &&$ 
aiwi'aj rwv atui/uv, — for ever and ever — is last ap- 
plied to the torments of the wicked, (Rev. xx : 10,) 
the prophet is describing the grand consummation 
of all things. It might here be stated, that the 
advocates of universal salvation, contend that the 
sublime representations given by the prophet, (Rev. 
xx — xxii,) should be applied either to the change of 
dispensations, from the Jewish to the Christian; 
or, to the destruction of Jerusalem and the estab- 
lishment of Christianity : but if to neither of these 
events, then, as is admitted on all hands, the de- 
scription must refer to the grand transactions of 
the last day. 

But I would just remark, that the wonderful 
transactions described cannot possibly be the 
change of dispensations, from the Jewish to the 
Christian ; because, as we have before proved, this 
change took place on the day of Pentecost, long 
prior to the date of the Apocalypse. 

The other two positions, then, remain to be more 
fully considered. 

That the prophetic announcements now referred 
to in Revelations xx, xxi, xxii, do not apply to the 
destruction of Jerusalem and the establishment of 
Christianity, but to the grand transactions of the 
last day, — is plain and evident from the following 
arguments : 

1. The proposition is obvious from the dates. 

Jerusalem fell totally, A. D., 70; but the book of 

the Apocalypse was not written till about A. D., 96. 
29 



338 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

With respect to the date last mentioned, to say 
nothing of historic authority, " internal evidence 
supports this conclusion. For in the first three 
chapters of the Apocalypse, the seven Asiatic 
churches are described as being in that advanced 
and flourishing state of society and discipline, and 
to have undergone those changes in their faith and 
morals, which could not have taken place if they 
had not been planted for a considerable time. 
Thus, the church of Ephesus is censured for hav- 
ing left 'her first love.' That of Sardis 'had a 
name to live, but was dead.' The church of Lao- 
dicia had fallen into lukewarmness and indifference. 
Now the church of Ephesus, for instance, was not 
founded by Paul until the latter part of Claudian's 
reign ; and when he wrote to them from Rome, 
A. D., 61, instead of reproving them for any want 
of love, he commends their love and faith. — 
Eph. i : 1*5. Further, it appears from the Revela- 
tion that the Nicolaitans formed a sect when this 
book was written, since they are expressly named ; 
whereas they were only foretold in general terms 
by Saint Peter in his second Epistle, written A. D., 
65 or 66. It is also evident, from various passages 
of the Revelation, that there had been an open 
persecution in the provinces. John himself had 
been banished into Patmos for the testimony of 
Jesus. The church of Ephesus (or its bishop) is 
commended for its labor and patience, which seems 
to imply persecution. This is still more evident in 
the following address to the church of Smyrna, 
(Rev. ii : 9,) ! I know thy works and tribulation,' 



ARGUArEOT SIXTH FOURTH DIVISION. 339 

ouzw : which last word always denotes persecution 
in the New Testament, and is so explained in the 
following verse. 

Lastly, In Rev. ii : 13, mention is made of a 
martyr named Antipas, who was put to death at 
Pergamos. Though ancient ecclesiastical history 
gives us no information concerning this Antipas, 
yet it is certain, according to all the rules of lan- 
guage, that what is here said is to be understood 
literally, and not mystically, as some expositors 
have explained it. Since, therefore, the persecu- 
tion mentioned in the first three chapters of the 
Apocalypse, cannot relate to the time of Claudius, 
who did not persecute the Christians, nor to the 
time of Nero, whose persecution did not reach the 
provinces, it must necessarily be referred to Domi- 
tian, according to ecclesiastical tradition. 

Domitian's death is related to have happened 
in September, A. D., 96. The Christian exiles 
were then liberated, and John was permitted to 
return to Ephesus. As, however, the emperor's 
decease, and the permission to return, could not be 
known in Asia immediately, some time must have 
intervened before the apostle could be at liberty 
either to write the Apocalypse at Ephesus, or to 
send it by messengers from Patmos. We conclude, 
therefore, with Dr. Mill, Le Clerc, Basnage, Dr. 
Lardner, Bishop Tomline, Dr. Woodhouse, and 
other eminent critics, in placing the Apocalypse 
in the year 96 or 97." — Home's Introduction. 

Now as the book was written so long after the de- 
struction of Jerusalem — twenty-six or twenty-seven 



340 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

years — • as has been convincingly proved, it fol- 
lows that the prophet does not refer to that event, 
(or any simultaneous transaction,) when describing 
the resurrection, the judgment, the disappearing of 
the old earth and heavens, and the erection of the 
new. — Rev. xx, xxi, xxii. But if the language 
cannot apply to the dreadful catastrophe of the 
Jewish nation and the (simultaneous) establish- 
ment of Christianity, it must be referred to those 
scenes which will be transacted at the close of 
time. 

2. But we proceed to give still more conclusive 
evidence that the description in the last three chap- 
ters of Revelation, must belong exclusively to those 
transactions which shall be performed at the close 
of the present natural order of things. We are 
necessarily reduced to this conclusion by the chro- 
nological order of the events predicted in this book. 
This course of investigation, indeed, may seem 
somewhat tedious : but its importance to the Argu- 
ment, and the certainty it adds to the conclusion, 
will justify the adoption of such a method. The 
following, then, may present a general view of the 
chronological order of the events predicted by the 
prophet, reaching from the primitive ages of Chris- 
tianity to the consummation of all things : 

After describing his vision of " the things he had 
seen, and the things which (then) were," (Rev. 
i, ii, iii,) the prophet proceeds to give other visions, 
relating to " the things which should afterward be 
accomplished;" (chap, iv ;) presented under the 
figure of " a book sealed with seven seals," the 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FOURTH DIVISION. 341 

opening of which was the province of the Great 
Messiah. — chap, v. 

Under the first seal were predicted the victory 
and triumph of Christ over the Pagan religion. — 
chap, vi : 1, 2. 

The opening of the second seal foretold the 
bloody period of Trajan and his successors, of 
about ninety-five years, which continued until near 
the close of the second century. — vers. 3, 4. 

The third seal contained a prediction of compar- 
ative justice and great scarcity during the reign of 
the Septimian family, in the former part of the third 
century. — vers. 5, 6. 

Under the fourth seal is proclaimed a period 
of war, famine, and pestilence, continuing from 
the reign of Maximine to that of Diocletian. — 
vers. 7, 8. 

On the opening of the fifth seal is announced 
" the era of martyrs," the bloodiest of all the perse- 
cutions, which commenced under Diocletian, and 
lasted about ten years.— vers. 9-11. 

The sixth seal is intended to represent, by great 
changes in the universe and awful sublimity, the 
subversion of the Pagan Roman empire under Con- 
stantine the Great. — vers. 12-17. 

Then, for the consolation of the suffering faith- 
ful, we have a kind of episode from the general 
course of the prediction, describing the blessedness 
of the saints in heaven. — chap. 7. 

The seventh seal now opened, contains within 

itself seven distinct periods, signified by the " seven 

trumpets." — viii : 1-6. 
29* 



342 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

The first four trumpets sound the invasion of the 
western Roman empire, respectively, by the Goths 
under Alaric, (ver. 7 :) — by the Huns under Attila, 
(vers. 8, 9:) — by the Vandals and Moors under 
their leader Genseric; (vers. 10, 11;) — and then, 
the total wreck of the empire, about A. D. 566: 
(ver. 12 :) while yet an intimation is given of still 
heavier calamities. — ver. 13. 

The fifth and sixth trumpets proclaim, respect- 
ively, the rise and progress of the Mohammedan 
religion, (chap, ix: 1-12,) and the ravages of the 
Othman empire: (vers. 13-21:) under the lat- 
ter of which trumpets, is seen an angel with " a 
little book open," (chap. 10:) which developes the 
struggles of the church for the space of 1260 years, 
and at the expiration, her glorious triumph. — 
chap, xi : 1-14. 

The seventh trumpet is now sounded ; and in 
general terms are announced those dreadful revolu- 
tions among mankind and those signal visitations 
of Jehovah, which shall extend from the commence- 
ment of the millennial triumph to the final consum- 
mation : (vers. 15- 18 :) things which, for clearness, 
we should naturally expect to be revealed more 
fully in the sequel of the Apocalypse ; as also, it is 
immediately intimated. — ver. 19. This is accord- 
ingly done : but first the prophet represents the 
Christian and the A nti- christian powers, from their 
commencement, and according to their distinctive 
characteristics. 

The church in her primitive beauty is first repre- 
sented as contending with the Pagan Roman empire 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FOURTH DIVISION. 343 

(or its diabolical principle) until the eruption of the 
northern nations. — chap. 12. 

Also, the "beast" mentioned before, (xi: 7,) 
needed, in like manner, to be further explained ; 
which is accordingly done, (xiii : 1-10:) thereby 
representing Rome Papal : and, at this point, under 
the metaphor of the two-horned beast, is charac- 
terized the papal clergy, regular and secular. — 
vers. 11-18. 

The church now, notwithstanding the power, 
blasphemy, and apparent miracles, of her antago- 
nists, is represented in a state of safety and purity: 
(xiv: 1 - 5 :) and by the messages of three angels, 
are foretold the preaching of the gospel, (vers. 6, 7,) 
the fall of Babylon, (ver. 8,) and the torments of 
the wicked : (vers. 9-12 :) all of which were thus 
announced by Luther and other reformers. At the 
same time a voice from heaven assures the martyrs 
of Jesus of a happy entrance into the heavenly 
rest. — ver. 13. 

But all these solemn warnings from the throne 
proving of no avail toward producing the reform- 
ation which God requires, He now denounces a 
still severer doom against Antichrist, as repre- 
sented under the figures of harvest and vintage; 
(vers. 14-20;) thereby signifying a total destruc- 
tion. Thus far, however, the indignation is ex- 
hibited in general. 

But to represent the doom of Antichrist more 
particularly and more fully, " seven angels, having 
seven vials in which is filled up the wrath of God," 
(ch. 15,) pour out the same upon the Anti-christian 



344 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

kingdom ; (chap. 16 ;) affecting it very much in the 
manner in which ancient Egypt was afflicted. 

The ruin of Antichrist having now been repre- 
sented by the plagues of Egypt, it is also described 
by the fall of Babylon. But in this division, there is 
first given a full description of mystic BABYLON 
THE GREAT; (chap. 17:) and then, of her fear- 
ful doom: (chap. 18 :) which is now immediately 
succeeded by a triumphal song of praise on the 
part of the church. — chap. 19. 

Now fully commences a blessed era. Satan 
himself, the prime agent of all mischief, is put 
into close confinement, and the golden age of the 
church continues u a thousand years." — xx: 1-6. 
This blessed millennial reign on earth is succeeded 
by a short season of wickedness, which is speed- 
ily terminated by the total overthrow of all the 
wicked. — vers. 7-9. 

We have now descended to far future times. We 
have seen "the Lion of the tribe of Juda" loose 
the seven seals of the sealed book, and unfold its 
wonderful pages : We have heard the successive 
blasts of " the seven trumpets," until the most 
fearful desolation spread throughout the whole 
extent of the Roman empire, both east and west : 
We have heard the doom of Antichrist denounced 
in the most thrilling tones : We have seen the har- 
vest gathered and the winepress trodden : We have 
seen the seven angels pouring out the vials of Di- 
vine wrath upon the Anti- christian kingdom, until 
it became a total wreck : We have heard, as from 
afar, the fall of BABYLON THE GREAT : We 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FOURTH DIVISION. 345 

have heard the voice of harpers, loud hymns of 
praise to Jehovah, for His righteous judgments : 
We have seen the arch fiend himself led in chains 
by Messiah the Prince : We have passed the blessed 
millennial ages, earth's brightest days : We have 
again witnessed scenes of wickedness and bloody 
deeds performed at the very eve of time : We have 
heard the last and feeblest echo of the seventh 
trumpet, and have hearkened, till its sound has 
fully died away. And now, the w T orld being ripe 
for ruin, the fire of God descends from heaven, the 
the flames of the final conflagration are lighted up, 
the w r icked receive their dreadful doom, and are 
sentenced to " be tormented for ever and ever." — 
chap, xx : 10. 

Surely, if anything can be learned from the chro- 
nological connection of a passage with a regular 
series of consecutive events, then it is evident from 
the plan and structure of the whole book of Reve- 
lation, that the present passage, must refer to the 
close of time for its full accomplishment. 

Now, I must acknowledge that I should be highly 
gratified, should one make the attempt to follow 
the predictions of the prophet in a regular, chrono- 
logical, and consecutive order of events, through 
the "seven seals," the "seven trumpets," and the 
" seven vials ; " and then, even at the close of the 
"thousand years," and still beyond that far future 
era succeeding the Millennium, the "little season" — 
even then — after all his onward march, should find 
himself carried down the eventful current of time, 



346 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

no further than just to the close of the Mosaic dis- 
pensation and the introduction of the Christian ; 
or, at most, to the destruction of Jerusalem and the 
simultaneous establishment of Christianity. (!) Yet, 
till this is done, the passage must refer to earth's 
final period for its full accomplishment. 

3. That the passage before us, (Rev. xx : 10, 
compared with vers. 14, 15; xxi : 8, 27; xxii : 11, 
15,) refers to the final consummation, is further 
confirmed from its being connected with the grand 
description of the general judgment, and the visions 
of the heavenly Jerusalem. 

1 . The general judgment is evidently described. — 
Rev.xx: 11-15. We have descended down to the 
latest generation, and the vision is still onward. 
The awful solemnities of the judgment are present- 
ed in the following order: 1. The appearance of 
the tribunal — " And I saw a great white throne :" 

2. The Judge Himself enthroned in most awful and 
appalling majesty — " And I saw — Him that sat 
thereon, from whose face the earth and the heaven 
fled away; and there was found no place for them." 
The creation recedes from His Presence. This shall 
be effected in changing the constitution and visible 
form of this mundane system at His final coming. 

3. The dead are assembled around the judgment- 
seat — " And I saw the dead, small and great, stand 
before God." 4. The rules of equity, the moral 
standards of Jehovah, as the means of judging 
rightly, are now presented — " And the books were 
opened" — spoken with a reference, probably, first, 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FOURTH DIVISION. 347 

to the moral law as the standard of rectitude; and 
also, to the Divine Omniscience and to human 
conscience, whose attestations (now very different,) 
shall then perfectly harmonize in the development 
of moral facts. " And another book was opened 
which is the book of life." This " other book," as 
seems probable, denotes the gospel of Christ as an 
exhibition of the covenant of grace. 5. Next is 
announced the equal administration of justice — 
" And the dead were judged out of those things 
which were written in the books according to their 
works." 6. A more particular account is given of 
the dead ; not, indeed, as standing before the throne, 
but as coming forth from the dominion of death — 
" And the sea gave up the dead which were in it." 
Not even those who have been thrown upon the 
beach, or devoured by sea-monsters, shall escape 
hearing " the trump of God," when the Divine fiat 
goes forth to wake the dead. The language ap- 
plies exclusively to the physical resurrection of 
man. But the prophet announces the revivifica- 
tion of all in general who are in the gloomy abodes 
of death — " And death and hell delivered up the 
dead which were in them." " Death," in this pas- 
sage, must denote natural death, or the first death 
understood, as contrasted with the "second," which 
is mentioned in this connection. The term " hell," 
or, as in the original, hades, imports, as usual, the 
separate state of the spirit, the unseen world. 
" Death and hell delivered up the dead : " the 
former, the body; and the latter, the spirit. When 
the body shall wake from its long sleep, the spirit 



348 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

at the same time shall return from its mystic land, 
that the two may be united again in an indissolu- 
ble union. 7. The equity of the divine procedure 
is also again attested, energetically — "And they 
were judged every man according to their w^orks." 
8 The terrible doom of the wicked who are raised 
from the dead, is now denounced — "And death 
and hell (hades,) were cast into the lake of fire.' 5 
" Death and hell " should be understood as above. 
" The lake of fire," wherever the expression occurs, 
symbolizes a state of severe and just punishment. 
" Death and hades," being states, and not persons, 
(though sometimes personified,) cannot be the sub- 
jects of either happiness or misery. Their "being 
cast into the lake of fire," then, does not strictly 
import, in this place, penal infliction. Nor does 
the phraseology denote the annihilation of "death 
and hades," as some have strangely argued : there is 
a wide difference between " being cast into the lake 
of fire," and being thrown out of existence. But 
while the language is itself figurative, the purport 
of the passage seems to be, " That, in regard to the 
wicked, natural death and the separate state of the 
spirit, shall be changed into a state more dreadful 
than either, and combining the terrors of both." 
The spirit shall be no longer held a prisoner in the 
gloomy apartment of "hades," nor the body under 
the reign of " death : " the former returning and the 
latter being raised, shall be united in one ; and then 
be doomed, not the body to death and the grave, 
and the spirit to the separate state; but both to a 
world of woe so dreadful as to combine the terrors 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FOURTH DIVISION. 349 

of natural death with all that is gloomy in the con- 
dition of fallen and abandoned spirits. " This is 
the lake of fire : " Both spirit and body feel the same 
piercing anguish after their connection again, that 
the spirit itself had before experienced during its 
separation. " This is the second death," succeed- 
ing the first, and as dreadful to the whole man, as 
natural death is to the body. Thus, as regards the 
wicked, death and hades, relinquishing their cap- 
tives, shall be changed into, and superseded by, the 
lake of fire, the second death. " The lake of fire " 
is but another name for " Gehenna : " and as our 
Lord warned His hearers " to fear him who is able 
to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna," — even 
after the resurrection, as was proved in a former 
Argument; — so here, accordingly, the two, "both 
soul and body," being reunited, are represented as 
suffering in " the lake of fire," that lake of which 
the fiery doom of Sodom and Gomorrah was but 
an emblem; that place of torment "where their 
worm is not to die, and the fire is not to be 
quenched." Thus far, the penal fire is denounced 
against such as shall have " died (in their sins)" 
when the Lord shall come. 9. But the fearful pun- 
ishment denounced, will be the doom alike of all 
the wicked at the second advent — " And whoso- 
ever" — both, of those who have died and of those 
who are living — "was not found written in the 
book of life, was cast into the lake of fire." The 
two distinct states of "death," and "hades" (the 
separate state of the spirit,) shall be absorbed 

or swallowed up in another state, which, for its 
30 



350 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

dreadfulness, is called " the lake of fire," and " the 
second death : " and into this dreadful state the 
wicked shall be cast. 

Thus, the prophet has closed, by way of descrip- 
tion, the grand and awful proceedings of the "judg- 
ment," as regards the wicked : (Rev. xx : 11 - 15 :) 
a description which, with no manner of propriety, 
will apply to any transactions excepting those of 
the general judgment. 

2. But that the grand representation above given 
belongs exclusively to the judgment of the last 
day, is finally demonstrated by the following part 
of the vision. The scene is now 7- changed: it is 
laid in the firmament of heaven ; and the future 
beatitude of the blessed is exhibited in such lan- 
guage as must refer exclusively to the triumphant 
state of the church — " in thoughts that breathe, and 
words that burn." 

The vision is still onward — onward and up- 
ward: 1. A new creation arises, and supersedes 
the old — "And I saw a new heaven and a new 
earth;" the same that was mentioned in a pre- 
ceding Argument, and there proved to refer to that 
blessed and glorious order of things which shall 
exist under Messiah's future celestial reign : " For 
the first heaven and the first earth were passed 
away." — Rev. xxi : 1. The import of the phrase- 
ology, " the first heaven and the first earth," may 
be clearly and satisfactorily learned from the Jew- 
ish historian : — " In the beginning God created the 
heaven and the earth." — Gen. i: 1. He gave 
existence, constitution, and form, to the material 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FOURTH DIVISION. 351 

earth and heavens. That these were the "first," 
all must acknowledge. Now, as the seer pro- 
claims that " the first were passed away," it fol- 
lows conclusively that the words were uttered with 
reference to the dissolution of the present material 
frame of nature, as connected with man. Besides : 
We have already proved in a preceding Argument, 
that " the heavens," in their present form and con- 
stitution, " shall pass away" by " being dissolved" 
at the final conflagration. At that time, then, in 
their present form, " the heavens shall be no more." 
To that final period we are bound to refer the 
prophet's language. 2. The wonderful change 
passes upon the waters — " And there was no more 
sea." — ver. 1. That great agent under God which 
dissolves the atmospheric heavens and melts the 
solid earth, also pervades the watery fluid, and 
reduces it back to its primitive elements. But let 
the expression be understood either literally or 
metaphorically, (presented in the form of a dilem- 
ma,) in either case, it must be referred to the final 
consummation. If understood literally, then there 
a being no more sea," will denote such a separa- 
tion of the hydrogen and oxygen, or such a change 
in water, as has never yet taken place, and such 
as never will until the close of time. Or, if the 
language be interpreted metaphorically, the sense 
should be received according to the general usage 
of the metaphor. Now, the term " sea," when 
taken in its tropical sense, generally signifies na- 
tions, multitudes, and the like. If such, then, be 
the import of the figure, the passage must refer to 



352 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

a period when the nations and multitudes of men, 
even the whole race of Adam, shall cease from the 
earth. But this amounts to the very identical period 
predicted according to the literal interpretation : 
the generations of men shall cease at the dissolu- 
tion of the heavens and the earth. Now, in the 
very commencement of the Book of God, we are 
told that " He created the earth, the heavens, and 
the seas ; " and we readily " believe that the world 
was thus framed by the word of God : " and then, 
in the concluding sections of the same Divine 
book, we are as plainly told that " the first heaven, 
the first earth, and the (primitive) sea, have passed 
(or shall pass) away;" and we are bound by the 
same Divine authority, and in the same literal sense, 
to receive the accredited testimony. The fact of 
marked and frequent symbols being used in the 
apocalyptic visions, proves nothing when the lan- 
guage is evidently divested of metaphor, or when 
the metaphor is so used as to convey an obvious 
sense and be readily understood. 

3. In that new, celestial order which God shall 
introduce, shall be no more sorrow : the inhabitants 
of the New Jerusalem, the city descending from 
heaven prepared and adorned for Jehovah, are free 
from all affliction — "And God shall wipe away all 
tears from their eyes ; and there shall be no more 
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there 
be any more pain : for the former things are passed 
away." — vers. 2-4. In the present world are tears 
and death, sorrow, and crying, and pain. These 
"(former) things have" not yet "passed away." 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FOURTH DIVISION. 353 

The vision develops the bright era of immortality 
and perfect bliss. It is therefore proved that the 
prediction relates to the future and eternal world — 
even beyond the resurrection — when natural death 
itself shall die and be no more. 

I would here remark, that those who believe in 
the final salvation of all mankind, have regarded 
the last passage as one of the strongest supports 
of their doctrine; not considering, as it would seem, 
that the language used to express this final free- 
dom from death and woe, is uttered with an exclu- 
sive reference to the inhabitants of the holy city; 
and also, that, just after, is again denounced the 
fearful doom of the unholy and profane. — ver. 8. 

4. The renovation of the universe is also an- 
nounced — " And He that sat upon the throne said, 
Behold, I make all things new." — ver. 5. It is 
true, the apostle states, " If any man be in Christ, 
he is a new creature : " and in reference to him, 
he adds, " old things are passed away ; behold, all 
things are become new." — 2 Cor. v : 17. But in 
that passage the apostle represents human nature 
simply as the subject of divine operation; and he 
asserts a change in the feelings, views, and privi- 
leges of those who are brought into a state of grace; 
whereas John, in the Revelation, treats, especially, 
of the present material system of nature : and a 
voice from the throne proclaims : " The former 
things are passed away : " — " Behold, I make all 
things new." 5. The saints now, at this far future 
period, possess a rich inheritance — all the trea- 
sures, the untold beatitudes, of the new creation — 
30* 



354 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

" He that overcometh shall inherit all things." — 
ver. 7. Once the saints were heirs; now they are 
possessors in full. This refers, then, to the future 
order of things which will never end. But, with a 
direct reference to this very period, it is immedi- 
ately added, " But the fearful 

and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which 
burneth with fire and brimstone : which is the sec- 
and death." — ver. 8. Thus, then, although the 
prophet had just before announced the total de- 
struction or nonexistence of " death," (ver. 4,) yet 
here he declares the still continued existence of a 
certain kind of death ; (ver. 8 ;) which proves that 
the former declaration — of there being no more 
death — was made of natural " death" as the first 
in distinction from " the second death;" and also, 
that the former words were uttered concerning the 
inhabitants of " the holy city," (vers. 2, 3,) in con- 
tradistinction to the unholy and profane. — ver. 8. 
6. The celestial city of God, into which the saints 
now enter, is represented in such a state of ex- 
alted perfection, unclouded glory, and complete 
beatitude, as can never be realized in the pres- 
ent world. — vers. 9-21. 7. The absence of reli- 
gious ordinances — though enjoined under every 
form of the divine administration in this world — is 
plainly intimated — " And I saw no temple therein," 
as now in the church of Christ : " for the Lord God 
Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it."— 
ver. 22. 8. This city, adorned and illuminated with 
" the glory of God," needed none of the lights of na- 
ture : and its day went not down. — vers. 23, 25. 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FOURTH DIVISION. 355 

9. And while the righteous enter in, to go out no 
more ; the heavenly gates are effectually closed 
against all the unholy and profane ; (vers. 24, 26, 
27 ;) which cannot be affirmed of the church in the 
present world. 

10. The heavenly Jerusalem is " the Paradise of 
God:" (Rev. xxii : 1, 2, compared Avith ii: 7;) 
where is "fullness of pleasure" — an infinite and 
constant variety of blessedness. It denotes, beyond 
all dispute, the celestial state ; as the Messiah 
promised to the dying thief, — " This day shalt thou 
be with me in Paradise:" and their spirits departing 
from earth, met in the heavenly world. 11. This 
heavenly state is perfectly free from the anathema 
which fell on the earthly paradise — " And there 
shall be no more curse." — ver. 3. 12. The saints 
in this paradisiacal state are blessed with the clear, 
unclouded visions of God — "And they shall see 
His face ; " (ver. 4 ;) which " no man on earth can 
see, and live." 13. And finally, their bright, un- 
clouded glory, their royal honors, shall never end, 
as has already been shown — " The Lord God giv- 
eth them light : and they shall reign for ever and 
ever." — ver. 5. 

The truth of the predictions above adverted to, is 
then variously attested and confirmed. — vers. 6-21. 

Thus, from all the considerations now given, it is 
proved that the sublime description of the prophet 
in the concluding sections of the Apocalypse, (es- 
pecially Rev. xx : 11-15 ; xxi, xxii: 1-5,) pertains to 
the judicial proceedings of God in the last day, and 
to the final and changeless order of the universe. 



356 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

To this conclusion, before we further trace its 
bearing on the Argument, we pause to notice a 
solitary objection. 

It is objected that in divers parts of the Revela- 
tion we are assured that "the time is at hand,*' and 
that "the Lord will come quickly."— 1 : 3 ; x-xii : 7, 
10, 12, 20. But, even now, nearly two thousand 
years have passed away, and yet, according to the 
view above given, the Judge does not make His 
appearance : Therefore, he did not speak of a still 
future advent. 

To this objection various solutions might be 
given ; but the following seems to be the true one : 
The absolute Lord of the world declares, "Behold, 
I come quickly:" that is, I come in my Providence 
as the Disposer of all things, to conduct the affairs 
of the church and of the world to their ultimate 
issue ; when I will sit in judgment, and fix the 
final destinies of men. Let me illustrate this view 
of the subject : 

The prince of the empire sends a message to 
a distant province informing the chief men and 
nobles, and by them, all the subjects, of his design 
to take a tour through that part of the realm, 
for the purpose of transacting much important 
business, rectifying what is wrong, superintending 
public affairs, and securing the general interest; — 
that his stay in the province will probably be for a 
considerable length of time ; and that when mat- 
ters shall be brought to a proper issue, he will 
make a kind of general adjustment of things, 
and establish universal order: — and then, at the 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FOURTH DIVISION. , 357 

conclusion of this notice, he informs those to whom 
he directs his epistle, that he will come quickly. 
Now, evidently, in receiving this intelligence, the 
provincial ministers cannot understand their prince 
as informing them that he will quickly make that 
general adjustment and finally settle the universal 
order of the province : but simply, that he is about 
to enter upon this official career as preparatory to 
his grand object. 

Now the Messiah is that Prince. He is the Lord 
of worlds. He commissions an angel to bear the 
intelligence to John, and, by him, to other minis- 
ters of the church, and to all his people, that great 
events shall take place on the earth, — that He 
Himself will be present to superintend and con- 
duct all the affairs of His earthly province, — and 
finally preside in the judgment, to fix the final des- 
tinies of men, and reduce to perfect and universal 
order this part of His empire. He testifieth, saying, 
" The time is at hand : " " Behold, I come quickly : " 
The predictions uttered will immediately commence 
being fulfilled, the time has arrived; quickly, and 
henceforward I go forth ; Mine is the high preroga- 
tive ; immediately now entering upon my great 
work, I will continue my agency and my official 
operations until the final consummation ; when, in 
the last judgment, I will determine the destinies of 
the world, and establish universal order: Behold, 
quickly I come to fulfill these predictions. 

At the same time, however, in some other pas- 
sages of the New Testament, other solutions may 
be more agreeable to the text, according as the 



858 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

connection or general scope may seem to demand. 
Thus, the inspired writer in speaking of the coming 
of Christ to judgment as just at hand, may, in some 
instances, be understood in the comparative sense : 
that is, as all time is short compared with eternity, 
so speaking with reference to the infinite future 
succeeding the judgment, the intervening time prior 
to that event may be denominated short. It does 
not, in the comparison, bear so just a proportion to 
eternity, as one day does to all the years of time. 
Again, however, in other passages, the language 
may be understood in the subordinate sense : that 
is, it may import His coming at death. But, as 
above illustrated, it should seem, in the Apocalypse 
especially, where mention is made of so many 
events, and all to be accomplished in regular, con- 
secutive, and chronological order, and in quick suc- 
cession, that the speedy coming of the Lord, must 
denote, as already explained, the supreme agency 
of that Divine Person in superintending and accom- 
plishing these events, until, finally, He shall make 
His fuller and grander appearance in the general 
judgment. 

The objection, then, being fairly met and ans- 
wered, the character of the argument remains 
unchanged. 

It is sufficiently obvious, then, from the date of 
the Apocalypse : But it is proved to a demonstra- 
tion from the chronological order of the events 
predicted, and from the character of the descrip- 
tion itself, — That the concluding visions of this book 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FOURTH DIVISION. 359 

must refer to the judicial proceedings of God in the 
last day, and to the final and changeless order of 
the universe. 

Now, at the very period of which the prophet 
speaks, — that of the consummation of all things — 
the wicked are variously represented as receiving 
their punishment : 

First: The fearful doom of the wicked is first 
denounced just at the close of time: The seven seals 
have been broken ; the seven trumpets blown ; and 
the seven vials discharged ; the millennial ages have 
rolled aw^ay; and we have passed the " little 
season " of wickedness and dark declension ; and 
just now, as the curtains of time are drawn, and 
earth's final scene is closed — as the "fire from 
heaven" is kindled into the general conflagration, 
the prophet tells the fearful destiny of the wicked : 
"And the devil that deceived them," namely, the 
wicked nations of Gog and Magog, "was cast into 
the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast" — 
Pagan idolators — " and the false prophet" — Papal 
idolators — "are," — doomed to misery in the in- 
visible world, — " and shall be tormented day and 
night for ever and ever: (Rev. xx : 10:) without 
intermission and without end. 

Second : The prophet now proceeds to describe 
the solemnities of the judgment : He announces 
the appearance of the "white throne," the resur- 
rection of the dead, the assembling of the universe 
before the Judge, the opening of the books, and 
the adjudication of the world : and at this point 



360 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

the dreadful doom of the wicked is again stated : 
" And death and hell (hades) were cast into the lake 
of fire" — were changed into, and superseded by, 
"the lake of fire," the severest punishment. " This 
is the second death." — xx: 14. And to make it 
explicit, that this is the final destiny of unbelievers, 
it is immediately added : u And whosoever was not 
found written in the book of life was cast into the 
lake of fire." — ver. 15. 

Third : Another w T onderful scene is now exhib- 
ited : The present material creation passes away: 
all things are formed anew: the city of God appears 
in perfect and unclouded glory as the future and 
eternal abode of the saints, into which they are 
about to enter, and take possession of infinite trea- 
sures : " all things are brought to a consummation :" 
But just now again, as the saints enter the gates of 
the " New Jerusalem," a voice proceeds from the 
throne, saying, " But the fearful, and unbelieving, 
and the abominable, and murderers, and whore- 
mongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, 
shall have their part in the lake which burneth 
with fire and brimstone : which is the second 
death." — xxi : 8. 

Fourth: The heavenly city is now more fully 
described : Its strength and security ; its light and 
glory ; its beauty and loveliness ; its greatness and 
majesty; its unity, bliss, and perpetuity; its perfec- 
tion in every attribute is clearly displayed. The 
saints have entered the city of peace, to walk 
in its light, and enjoy its bliss for ever; and still 
again, Jehovah debars the wicked from entering 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FOURTH DIVISION. 361 

" the holy city : " " And there shall in no wise enter 
into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever 
worketh abomination, or maketh a He; but they 
which are written in the Lamb's book of life." — 
xxi: 27. 

Fifth : The bliss of heaven is still farther illus- 
trated under the emblem of paradise, and then the 
visions of God are all confirmed: And still now, 
finally, in the midst of these confirmatory announce- 
ments, another voice, and yet another, drops from 
the lips of the Messiah, and its thrilling tones are 
heard through the whole intelligent creation : " He 
that is unjust, let him be unjust still : and he which 
is filthy, let him be filthy still : and he that is right- 
eous, let him be righteous still : and he that is holy, 
let him be holy still." — xxii : 11. The ultimate 
destiny of both saint and sinner is thus ratified — 
" Let the wicked in the lake of fire, unjust, unholy, 
and miserable, — remain so eternally: and let the 
saints, righteous, holy, and happy, — continue thus 
evermore." And now, the last echo is heard from 
the mount of God, full of melody to the saints, but 
dreadful to the wicked ; " Blessed are they that do 
his commandments, that they may have right to 
the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates 
into the city." — ver. 14. " For without are dogs, 
and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, 
and idolators, and whosoever loveth and maketh a 
lie." — ver. 15. The sense is obvious : While the 
saints shall enjoy the pleasures of that paradise 
which is within the New Jerusalem ; the wicked, 

excluded from the company of the upright, shall 
31 



362 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

be doomed to suffer interminable woe without the 
walls of the city. Such shall certainly and inevi- 
tably be the fearful destiny of all, without excep- 
tion, who either " add unto," or "take away from," 
"the words of this book," and repent not of their 
deeds : Cast out from " the holy city," " God shall 
add unto them the plagues w T hich are written in 
this book."— vers. 18, 19. 

Thus, at every point of that most sublime de- 
scription — an evident delineation or grand outline 
of that final revolution which shall be conducted 
by the fiat of God in the end of the world — in 
every part of that most graphic description, is 
clearly attested, and fearfully denounced, the future 
and final doom of the wicked : It is described with 
the pencil, and confirmed by the oath of God. 

Let us now sum up the Argument under this 
head. 

First : We have proved that the phraseology, — 
els tov$ cuppas tcov auoviov, (eis tous aionas ton aionon,) 
for ever and ever, — as used in the New Testament, 
uniformly, and even intensively, signifies duration 
without end : 

We have also shown that this expression is, a 
number of times, applied to the torments of the 
wicked. 

We have therefore proved that their torments 
will be without end. 

Again : We have clearly ascertained, and proved 
beyond further controversy, that those grand and 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FOURTH DIVISION. 363 

awful descriptions which are given in the concluding 
sections of the Revelation, belong exclusively to 
scenes which shall be transacted at the consumma- 
tion of all things ; beyond which all is changeless : 

We have also seen that in the midst of these 
magnificent, prophetic, and confirmatory announce- 
ments, — relating to the end of time, the last tribu- 
nal, and the new creation, — the future misery of 
the wicked is, no less than seven times, distinctly 
and fearfully denounced : 

We have therefore proved, under this form of the 
Argument also, that the future misery of the wicked 
will be without end : for that which is changeless — 
without change, is necessarily endless — without end. 

Finally then : The most intensive phraseology 
expressive of infinite eternal endurance, is applied 
to the torments of the wicked as inflicted at the 
final consummation. Commencing, then, at this 
point, beyond which, the moral order of things is 
absolutely unchanging and eternal, the sentence of 
woe is pronounced against the wicked : it is pro- 
nounced at a period which has a beginning, but has 
no end, — one infinite, never-ending period, during 
which, no angel shall fall from bliss, no fiend shall 
rise from woe ; during which, no saint can ever be 
doomed to perdition, and no sinner can ever hope 
to gain an admittance into the celestial paradise. 
The sentence itself, from the white throne of God, 
is final and irreversible ; and by no method of rea- 
soning can we infer that the misery will ever come 
to an end : for then also must we feel ourselves 



364 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

equally bound to conclude that the bliss of heaven 
will cease. The sentences of the Judge, in either 
case, are pronounced for eternity ; and if not, then 
must there be another day of final decision, which 
is absurd; because, as we have already proved, this 
itself is final. But, on this very day, — at the final 
judgment, at the commencement of an infinite 
unchanging, never-ending period, — when every 
sentence, and every word is final, and every state is 
changeless, — the supreme Judge delares — what 
every rational spirit might expect and conclude ; 
that the misery of the wicked shall continue through 
all future duration. This He declares not only in 
the most appropriate language, but in the most 
intensive : Not only, that the " fire " into which 
they shall be cast, is " unquenchable " — never to be 
quenched ; that the torment shall last (&&* ?ov cuwva — 
eis ton aiona,) for ever; that the "perdition" shall 
be (aicovtos — aionios,) eternal, everlasting; that its 
duration shall be just equal to that of the punish- 
ment of fallen spirits, whose misery will be (<w5«>s — 
aidios,) eternal as God ; and that this final doom is 
contrasted with the endless beatitude of the right- 
eous: Each of which Arguments is amply sufficient 
to establish the doctrine of endless punishment: 
But, concentrating the strength of all these appro- 
priate words and phrases, in one most expressive 
and intensive phraseology, He declares that the 
torments of the wicked shall endure («$ tm$ mmids 
tm> acojviov — eis tous aionas ton aionon,) for ever and 
ever. This is the strongest and most energetic 
form of words, either in the Greek or in the English, 



ARGUMENT SIXTH FOURTH DIVISION. 



365 



expressive of infinite endurance ; and this, accord- 
ingly is the one employed to express the unending 
period of the spirit's destiny. With this we finish 
our series of Arguments ; and on this we rest our 
final conclusion. For, 

If the most appropriate word in the Greek lan- 
guage to express unending duration, used in the 
most intensive manner, when applied to the pun- 
ishment of the wicked, — proves it to be endless, as 
it certainly does : And if, independently, the inflic- 
tion of this punishment on the day of the final 
judgment, demonstrates the same proposition, as 
beyond that period all is fixed and changeless : 
Then, how conclusive, how triumphant, must the 
Argument be, when the two important reasons 
above stated are combined, and their powers con- 
centrated. The wicked, at the final consummation, 
are banished from their Judge, and doomed to the 
lake of fire : and then, as they launch into eter- 
nity, He declares in the presence of the assem- 
bled universe, that their "torments" shall never — 
never — end. 

Such, finally, is the character of the Argument, — 
so certain, so conclusive, so triumphant, in support 
of the doctrine of future and endless punishment. 
And, truly, to us the doctrine seems developed with 
such strength and evidence, as to be clear as the 
light, and firm as a rock. If, indeed, as must be 
conceded on all hands, the Scriptures be a Divine 
revelation, if God be true, and his witnesses faith- 
ful, if truth itself may be certainly and distinctly 

learned from the use of language, and if in the 
31* 



366 DOCTRINE OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. 

volume of inspiration the most appropriate words 
be employed, — if these self-evident truths be admitted : 
Then, we know not how to avoid the conclusion, 
nor can we suppress our own conviction, That the 
finally impenitent sinner shall be sentenced to 
suffer interminable and never-ending misery in the 
future world. 



THE END. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE. 

Introduction, 3 

Canons of Interpretation, 9 



ARGUMENT FIRST. 

The most appropriate Phraseology in the Hebrew 
Language, expressive of Endless Punishment, 

applied to the flnal doom of the wlcked. 

Daniel xii : 2, . . . . . .13 



ARGUMENT SECOND. 

The Future Punishment of the Wicked inflicted 

AFTER THE FINAL RESURRECTION OF MAN. John 

v: 28, 29, .53 



ARGUMENT THIRD. 

The Torments of Gehenna in the Future World 
endless. — Matthew x: 28. Luke xii: 4,5. Mark 
ix: 43-48, . . . . . . . .71 



368 CONTENTS. 

ARGUMENT FOURTH. 

PAGE. 

The Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost never to 
be forgiven. — Matthew xii : 31, 32, compared with 
Mark iii : 28, 29, 133 



ARGUMENT FIFTH. 

The final Doom of the Wicked, in point of Dura- 
tion, TO BE THE SAME WITH THAT OF FALLEN 

Angels. — 2 Peter ii : 4. Jude 6, compared with 

2 Peter iii: 4-12, 163 



ARGUMENT SIXTH. 

The most appropriate and forcible Terms and 
Phrases in the Greek Language, expressive of 
endless Duration, applied in the New Testament 
to the future mlsery of the wlcked, . . .219 

First Division. — Mark iii : 29.. 2 Peter ii : 17. 

Jude 13, 247 

Second Division. — Matthew xviii : 8. Mark iii : 29. 
2 Thess. i: 9. Hebrews vi : 2. Jude 7,. . .261 

Third Division. — Matthew xxv : 46, . . . . 295 
Fourth Division. — Revelations xiv: 2. xix: 3. xx: 10, 323 



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